4 migrant workers killed as truck overturns in Croatia

A freight truck overturned early on Monday in Croatia killing four migrants who were hiding inside, and injuring a number of others, police said.

The accident happened on a highway near the border with Bosnia, Croatian police said in a statement. The truck had Serbian license plates, the statement said.

Croatian state HRT television reported that the truck was transporting tons of heavy paper rolls which crushed some of the migrants who were hiding among them when the vehicle overturned.

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Local official Zaltko Pjes told HRT that at least 11 people were transported to hospitals in the area, including some with serious injuries. He said the migrants were Syrians.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident near the Croatian town of Okucani, about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Zagreb.

It highlights dangers refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa or Asia face as they look for ways to reach Western Europe.

Thousands of people remain stuck in the Balkans while making many attempts to illegally cross borders toward wealthy European Union nations. Migrants often pay people smugglers to arrange for illegal transport or sneak into freight trucks themselves.

Associated Press