Czech police find 30 smuggled foreigners, one dead, during highway stop

Czech police stopped a truck on Monday evening at the 17.5-kilometer D8 highway near Nova Ves and Mělník (Central Bohemia). Inside the truck were approximately 30 foreign migrants, one of whom was dead, despite resuscitation attempts. According to police spokeswoman Barbora Schneeweissová, the migrants were found in poor health.

The police have stated that the truck was stopped in the direction of Ústí nad Labem (towards the German border), but have not confirmed whether it was tipped off or discovered by chance. The police also stated that it appears these migrants were in transit and did not plan to remain in Czechia. 

The nationality of the foreigners is not yet confirmed, but police say they were conversing in Arabic. 

One of the foreigners tried to escape when police stopped the truck. As a precautionary measure, police deployed an air service helicopter with thermal imaging to search for any migrants who may have escaped. 

Czech Television reported that the deceased person was a woman. The rescuers have reported that the migrants found in the truck were in poor health. The D8 highway is still passable, but one exit has been closed due to the ongoing investigation.

This incident highlights the ongoing issue of illegal migration through Czechia and generally around Europe. Last year, Czech police detected roughly 14,000 illegal migrants – the majority of whom were Syrian – in the Czech Republic. This represented a 50-percent decrease from 2022, in part due to tighter border controls on the Slovak borders. 

Czech Police detained 139 people during transit migration in the first half of this year, which was 660 fewer than in the same period last year

In late May this year, the German Interior Ministry announced it would extend temporary checks at its land borders with Czechia, Poland, and Switzerland for at least another six months, until Dec. 15. The same month, the German state of Saxony asked Czech authorities to “intensify” border controls.

Czechia had established regular border controls with Slovakia in 2022 and then in 2023, though these ended in early 2024. They are now done randomly.