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Austrian Police Discover 11 Iranian Migrants Sealed In Freight Train Car


The migrants told authorities that a smuggler had put them in the freight car near a refugee facility in Serbia. (file photo)
The migrants told authorities that a smuggler had put them in the freight car near a refugee facility in Serbia. (file photo)

Police in Austria say 11 Iranian migrants attempting to travel to Germany have been found hidden between a shipment of refrigerators inside a freight train car.

Officials on July 6 said the migrants were discovered in a railway yard in the city of Fuernitz in southern Austria.

Workers were alerted when the migrants knocked on the train doors after spending nearly 40 hours in the sealed freight car.

The train had crossed the border into Austria from Slovenia.

The migrants told authorities that a smuggler had put them in the freight car near a home for refugees in the Serbian city of Sid on July 4 and told them they would be sent to Germany.

They said they had paid 1,000 euros ($1,125) each to be transported to Germany.

The Red Cross said the migrants were in good health and that they had been sent to a transit camp.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa

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