Switzerland: 23 refugees found in van coming from Italy

By  ANSA | Infomigrants

Swiss police have found 23 refugees crowded inside a van coming from northern Italy. The driver has been arrested.

Swiss police discovered 23 people in the back of a van during a traffic stop on Monday morning (September 5), according to press statement released by the police of the Nidwalden canton.

The vehicle, with Italian license plates, was reportedly travelling north on the A2 highway when it was stopped at 6:30 am near Hergiswil in central Switzerland.

Officers found the 23 people standing close together in a small space in the back of the van, without any safety measures or windows, police said. They had reportedly been travelling inside the van from Italy for several hours without a break.

In an interview with public broadcaster SRF, the head of the police of Nidwalden, Senad Sakic, said that the way in which the refugees had been transported was “inhumane, and physically and psychologically very taxing.”

Refugees from Afghanistan, India, Syria, Bagladesh

Swiss police described the van passengers as refugees.

They are reported to be from Afghanistan, India, Syria, and Bangladesh, and between the ages of 20 and 50. Police said that no one was injured.

The refugees were taken to a police station where they were given food. After they were questioned they were taken to an asylum center. Police said that during their interviews, they told them that their plan had been to travel to other European countries. Some Swiss media reported that their destination had been France; other outlets said that they were also headed for Germany and UK in addition to France.

The driver, a 27-year-old Gambian living in Italy, has been arrested. Local police is investigating him on suspicion of human smuggling. During the first interrogation, he denied being aware of the fact that he was carrying “human cargo”, police chief Sakic told SRF.