From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 31, 2015
Traffic chaos as Austria ups border checks in migrant hunt
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleHuge traffic jams stretching back 50 kilometers (30 miles) build up along the Austro-Hungarian border as Austrian police step up security checks in the hunt for human traffickers.
The measure was put in place yesterday evening, three days after an abandoned truck containing 71 dead migrants, four of them children, was discovered on a motorway in Burgenland state close to the Hungarian border.
Since the operation began at 6:30 GMT, more than 200 migrants have been picked up, and another five people have detained on suspicion of smuggling, officials said.
“The main aim is to target smuggling gangs. What is happening here are controls conducted by traffic police and security forces — these are not border controls,” said police spokesman Helmut Marban.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.