11 Syrian, Iranian migrants discovered in truck in France

Eleven migrants were discovered in the back of a truck in the southwest of France on Monday.

Local authorities said the eight Syrians and three Iranians were taken to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation, Reuters reported.

According to the report, the migrants, which included three children, appeared to be in good health.

The Russian truck driver said he contacted local authorities after hearing noises from the back of his vehicle, which is registered in Lithuania.

Smugglers belonging to loose networks are increasingly preying on the desperation of growing numbers of refugees fleeing war and poverty in places like Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Somalia.

Officials say the deadly business of human trafficking to Europe may be worth billions of dollars.

In August, the decomposing bodies of 71 refugees believed to be from Syria were discovered inside a truck abandoned on a rural Austrian highway. The incident sparked global condemnation, and pressured European leaders to step up their response to the refugee crisis.

On Monday, the EU said it had began the next phase of its operation to tackle migrant smuggling in the Mediterranean, allowing naval forces to “board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling or trafficking on the high seas, in line with international law.”