Authorities in Bulgaria have detained seven people in connection with an abandoned truck in which 18 people believed to be migrants were found dead, police said Saturday. The bodies were discovered Friday in a secret compartment below a load of lumber in the truck, which was left on a highway not far from Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. Borislav Sarafov, director of Bulgaria's National Investigation Service, confirmed that all the victims had died of suffocation. He called the case the country's deadliest involving smuggled migrants. Police also found 34 survivors in the truck, most of them in very poor physical condition, Bulgarian Health Minister Assen Medzhidiev said. All the passengers originally were from Afghanistan and had entered Bulgaria from Turkey while hoping to reach Western Europe, authorities said. Sarafov said the people who died had perished 10 to 12 hours before the truck was found and that the smugglers had fled the scene after they noticed the deaths. The seven suspects were detained at different locations across Bulgaria. Investigators were working to determine if the truck's driver was among them. Also Read: Bodies of 18 migrants found in abandoned truck in Bulgaria The investigation indicates the suspects belonged to a organized crime ring involved in smuggling migrants from the border with Turkey to the Bulgaria-Serbia border, Sarafov said. Passengers paid 5,000-7,000 euros each, he said. Bulgaria, a Balkan country of 7 million and the poorest member of the European Union, is located on a major route for migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan seeking to enter Europe from Turkey. Very few plan to stay, with most using Bulgaria as a transit corridor on their way westward. Bulgaria has erected a barbed-wire fence along its 259-kilometer (161-mile) border with Turkey, but with the help of local traffickers many migrants still manage to enter.

Police in Bulgaria on Friday discovered an abandoned truck containing the bodies of 18 migrants, who appeared to have suffocated to death. The Interior Ministry said that according to initial information, the truck was carrying about 40 migrants and the survivors were taken to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment. Bulgarian Health Minister Assen Medzhidiev said most of the survivors were in very bad condition. “They have suffered from lack of oxygen, their clothes are wet, they are freezing, and obviously haven’t eaten for days,” Medzhidiev said. The truck was found abandoned on a highway near the capital, Sofia. The driver was not there, but police discovered the passengers in a secret compartment below a load of timber. Authorities did not immediately give the nationalities of the migrants. Bulgarian media reported they all were from Afghanistan. Bulgaria, a Balkan country of 7 million and the poorest member of the European Union, is located on a major route for migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan seeking to enter Europe from Turkey. Very few plan to stay, with most using Bulgaria as a transit corridor on their way westward. Bulgaria has erected a barbed-wire fence along its 259-kilometer (161-mile) border with Turkey, but with the help of local human traffickers many migrants still manage to enter. Read more: 37 Bangladeshi migrants feared dead trying to reach Europe: Govt In Britain in October 2019, police found the bodies of 39 people inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England. British police said all the victims, who ranged in age from 15 to 44, came from impoverished villages in Vietnam and were believed to have paid smugglers to take them on a risky journey to better lives abroad. Police said they died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space. The truck discovered in the town of Grays, east of London, had arrived in England on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Bangladesh and Bulgaria have decided to name a street in Sofia after the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a road in Dhaka after the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival St. Paisiy Hilendarski. Bulgarian Ambassador Eleonora Dimitrova met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday and discussed issues of mutual interest. Also read:US wants to expand trade, investment partnership: Ambassador Haas Bangladesh and Bulgaria will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries this year. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 26 January 1972. Bangladesh and Bulgaria have decided to take up a number of initiatives to further strengthen bilateral partnership. Foreign Minister Momen and the Bulgarian Ambassador recalled the official visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Sofia in May 2016 to attend the Global Women Leader’s Forum and her meetings with the President and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. Momen appreciated Bulgarian support in various regional and in international forum and sought their support for Bangladesh’s candidature to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2023-25. Bulgarian Ambassador expressed willingness to employ Bangladeshi workers especially in the garments sector in Bulgaria. Foreign Minister Momen emphasized on regular exchange of business delegation between the two countries. Also read:Deal signed to conduct study on establishing virtual marketplace platform for RMG sector Highlighting the excellent opportunities in Bangladesh, he requested the Ambassador of Bulgaria to encourage Bulgarian investors to invest in Bangladesh. Bulgarian Ambassador requested that Bangladesh can consider importing edible oil (sunflower oil), corn, etc. from Bulgaria.

A bus crash in western Bulgaria early Tuesday has killed at least 45 people, authorities said. The bus, registered in North Macedonia, crashed around 2 a.m. and there were children among the victims, authorities said. Seven people were taken to hospitals for treatment. The cause of the crash was not immediately confirmed, but it appeared that the bus hit a highway guard rail, crashed and caught fire. Officials said an investigation will be launched. Also read: Bus crash in rugged Nepal district leaves 28 dead, 15 hurt Bulgarian news agency Novinite said representatives from North Macedonia’s embassy visited a hospital where some of the victims were taken. Photos taken shortly after the crash showed the bus engulfed in flames with plumes of thick, black smoke rising from the scene. Bulgarian Caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev visited the site of the crash and told reporters it was “a huge tragedy.” “I take this opportunity to send my condolences to the relatives of the victims,” Yanev said. “Let’s hope we learn lessons from this tragic incident and we can prevent such incidents in the future.” North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told Bulgarian television channel bTV that he had spoken to one of the bus survivors. “One of the passengers told me that he was asleep and woke up from an explosion,” Zaev told bTV, adding that the authorities will gather information that is “important for the families of the dead and the survivors.” Also read: 15 die in bus-truck collision in India Oliver Varhelyi, a European Union Commissioner, sent his condolences to the families and friends of those affected by the crash. “Terrible news about the tragic bus accident in Bulgaria in early morning hours,” Varhelyi wrote online. “My thoughts & condolences are with the families and friends of those who died as well as with the people and the authorities of North Macedonia.” In 2019, Bulgaria, an EU nation of 7 million, had the second-highest road fatality rate in the 27-nation bloc with 89 people killed per million population, according to European Commission data.

A newly founded anti-corruption party held a narrow lead in the preliminary vote count from Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections Sunday. A parallel count conducted by Gallup International gave the centrist We Continue the Change party 26.3% of the votes, leading the center-right opposition GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov by just over three percentage points. READ: Bangladesh receives 2.70 lakh AstraZeneca doses from Bulgaria Founded only few weeks ago by two Harvard graduates, Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, the party quickly won support due to their resolute anti-graft actions and pledges to bring transparency, zero tolerance for corruption and reforms to key sectors in the European Union's poorest member. “We will be the number one political force,” Petkov told reporters after initial results were released. “We will have a majority of 121 MPs in the 240-seat parliament and Bulgaria will have a regular coalition Cabinet.” It could be days before the final official results are announced. If they confirm the initial counts, Petkov would be handed a mandate to form a new government. Petkov said his party was open to coalition talks with all the parties that were part of last year’s protests against Boyko Borissov’s government. Investigations by the current caretaker government showed alleged corruption cases. “Now is the time to show that Bulgaria has embarked on the road of change and there is no turning back,” said Petkov. After Bulgaria held inconclusive general elections in April and July, many hoped this third attempt to elect 240 lawmakers would result in a government that can lead the country out of its health and economic crises. READ: Bulgaria arrests 6 soccer fans following racist acts  Five other parties appeared headed to winning spots in the 240-seat chamber, according to the exit poll. They include the ethnic Turkish MRF party with 11.4%, the Socialist Party with 10.4% support, the anti-elite There is Such a People party with 9.3%, the liberal anti-corruption group Democratic Bulgaria with 6.4%, and the nationalist Revival party with 5%. The vote Sunday for a new parliament and a new president came amid a surge of coronavirus infections. The Balkan country is the least vaccinated in the EU, with less than one-third of its adults fully vaccinated. Bulgaria reported 334 COVID-related deaths last week in a single day, a pandemic record. The Gallup International exit poll also suggested that President Rumen Radev has a commanding lead in his quest for a second five-year term but will still have to face runner-up Anastas Gerdzhikov in a Nov. 21 runoff as voter turnout remained below the needed 50%. Radev, a vocal critic of Borissov, said Sunday that he voted for freedom, legality, and justice. “These are the values I stand for,” he said after casting his ballot. “The stakes are huge and will determine whether the process of consolidating statehood will continue or those acting from behind the scenes will regain institutional power.” Some 6.7 million people were eligible to vote. The Central Election Commission said preliminary voter turnout was nearly 40%, lower than in previous elections.

Bangladesh has received  2.70 lakh doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as donation from the Bulgarian government. The vaccine consignment landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a cargo flight of the Turkish Airlines on Wednesday. READ: Another batch of 634,920 AstraZeneca doses from Japan to arrive Saturday evening A representative of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) received the vaccine consignment. This indicates the joint efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. READ: Bangladesh to get 2.70 lakh AstraZeneca does from Bulgaria

Sofia, Oct 16 (AP/UNB) — Bulgarian police arrested six soccer fans Wednesday and identified 15 people linked to making racist gestures, including Nazi salutes, during a European Championship qualifying match against England.