Last night, 70 illegal migrants were detained in Bulgaria, found in a bus parked on a highway near the town of Sliven. Some of the migrants were taken to the hospital in a state of exhaustion. Two Romanian citizens, one of whom was the driver, were also detained, and the prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case against them, according to Reuters, according to News.ro.

According to the source, 14 undocumented men said they were of Afghan origin. They were taken to the hospital, three remained under the supervision of doctors.

Bta.bg notes that in the night from Saturday to Sunday, at 01:00, officers of the Bulgarian traffic police checked a Fiat Ducato van at the parking lot mentioned by Reuters. They found two Romanians and 70 undocumented migrants aged 13 to 38 who said they were from Afghanistan.

The migrants were supposed to arrive at the migrant center in Lyubimet in southern Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is located on the route through which migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan reach the European Union.

Most do not intend to stay in Bulgaria, but want to reach the richer countries of Western Europe, using the networks developed by smugglers.

Bulgaria has stepped up checks at its border with Turkey and across the country to deal with the growing flow of migrants and prove it is capable of guarding the European Union’s external border.

Bulgaria’s entry into the Schengen zone was blocked by Austria and the Netherlands due to security and rule of law concerns on December 8. The country hopes to receive approval next year.

Romania, which has been waiting 11 years to join Schengen, is in the same situation. Austria managed to block a favorable decision in the JAI Council on Thursday, as Schengen entry requires unanimity. It was joined by the Netherlands on the condition that they oppose the accession of Bulgaria, and the vote was cast “together with Romania”.