'Up to 50' refugees found dead in truck in Austria

A police officer in protective gear stands in front of the truck. Photo / AP

As many as 50 refugees were found dead in a parked truck in eastern Austria yesterday, Austrian officials said late last night.

The victims were found on a motorway near the town of Parndorf.

A spokesman for Austria's Interior Ministry confirmed the tragedy. He said: "Unfortunately there are many dead people in there."

The spokesman said he did not have an exact figure of the death toll. He said the dead were likely to be refugees.

It is understood that the truck had been parked or even abandoned on the side of the road for several days.

A full investigation into the tragedy has been launched.

Police official Hans Peter Doskozil said the truck, with Hungarian licence plates, was found on the shoulder of the highway.

He suggested the victims had been dead for some time, telling state broadcaster ORF that the bodies appeared partially decomposed.

He said the truck was apparently abandoned on Wednesday and its back door was left open, exposing the bodies to police.

Doskozil, the police chief of Burgenland province, said the state of the bodies made it difficult to say how many bodies were in the truck but estimated it could be up to 50.