German police find 9 young Afghans in truck at rest area

BERLIN (AP) — German police said Thursday that they found nine young Afghans in a truck after the driver reported hearing knocking noises as he took a break at a highway rest area.

Police in Wertheim in southern Germany were alerted by the driver on Wednesday night after he heard the sounds from the vehicle’s semitrailer.

Officers opened up the truck and found nine Afghan citizens aged 12 to 16, federal police in Stuttgart said in a statement. They said all of the youngsters were in good health and no medical treatment was required. All were seeking asylum.

It wasn’t immediately clear how they got on board the vehicle. The Afghans were handed over on Thursday to a home for young people in Stuttgart.

The truck driver, who had come to Germany from Romania via Hungary and Austria, was not under suspicion of wrongdoing.