site.btaUPDATED Two Killed in Motorway Chase During Migrant Smuggling Attempt

Two persons were killed when their vehicle crashed while being chased by police during a migrant smuggling attempt early on Thursday, the police in Sliven said. The car was carrying 12 undocumented foreigners who said they were from Afghanistan.

The incident happened at 1:30 a.m. on the Trakia Motorway when a police patrol flagged down a Mazda car travelling to Sofia. The driver, a 26-year-old Bulgarian, sped up and shortly afterwards lost control of the vehicle, which overturned by the roadside.

Two people - one of the migrants and the driver's Bulgarian companion -  died on the spot. The driver and three migrants were hospitalized in Sliven. Two migrants are in hospital in Yambol with multiple fractures. They are in a stable condition.

Five migrants will be transferred to the Special Home for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in Lyubimets (South Central Bulgaria).

Pre-trial proceedings are underway.