Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Police reveal horrific details of migrant deaths near Sofia

Photo: Archive

The secret compartment of the timber truck in which the Afghan migrants died of suffocation was meant for 25-30 people. Out of greed, the traffickers crammed in 52, Borislav Sarafov, director of the National Investigative Service, told a news briefing. 

They transported the migrants from the Turkish border to the border with Serbia. The traffickers were paid between 5,000 and 7,000 euros via the hawala system. The driver took 100 euros per person and the leader - around 1,000 euros per person. 

The 6-member criminal group prepared the hiding places themselves, lined with foil so that body heat would not be detected by X-ray. After Trayanova Vrata mountain pass, the traffickers heard a thumping sound, but did not stop. The victims suffocated for between 30 and 60 minutes. Outside Sofia, the pounding intensified. The drivers stopped. Seeing the suffocating migrants and understanding that there were casualties, they fled.

On Friday police in Bulgaria discovered an abandoned truck containing the bodies of 18 migrants from Afghanista, who appeared to have suffocated to death inside a secret compartment under a load of lumber.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Summer coolness with precipitation in some places

On Wednesday, the lowest temperatures will be between 17 and 23°C; in Sofia – about 17°C. During the day it will be mostly sunny with temporary cloudiness. In the afternoon, cumulus clouds will develop over the southern and eastern..

published on 7/29/25 7:05 PM
Metropolitan Gavriil

Holy Synod supports the Ministry of Education’s proposal to introduce "Religions and Virtues" as a school subject

At a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science, Metropolitan Gavriil of Lovech presented the official position of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC), expressing support for the Ministry of Education’s initiative to..

published on 7/29/25 6:25 PM

Bulgarian users divided over AI - survey

Bulgarian society ranks at the European average in terms of generative AI application usage, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by Alpha Research between July 7–14, 2025. The survey included 1,000 adult respondents from across the..

published on 7/29/25 6:12 PM