18 migrants were found dead on Friday in an abandoned truck about 20 kilometers from the Bulgarian capital Sofia, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said, AFP and EFE news agencies reported.

Police car in BulgariaPhoto: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

“According to the first data (of the investigation), the vehicle was illegally transporting about 40 migrants hidden under a wooden reed,” the source said. 18 of them apparently died of asphyxiation, the authorities rule out the cause of the accident.

Some surviving migrants say the traffickers simply abandoned the truck and ran away.

Since last year, Bulgaria has been facing its biggest influx of illegal migrants trying to reach Western Europe since the 2015 migration wave. (Source: Agerpres)