Slovenian police stop van carrying 43 migrants

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Police in Slovenia said Monday they stopped a van carrying 43 migrants who entered the country illegally.

They detained a 39-year-old Bulgarian citizen who was driving the van, which had Bulgarian license plates.

The migrants said they came from Pakistan and Bangladesh. A patrol stopped the van on Sunday in the area of Sezana, near the border with Italy.

Slovenia has reported a rise in illegal migration of people trying to reach Western Europe while fleeing violence or poverty in their home countries.

The influx has picked up in the summer since the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures in the Balkans.

Thousands of migrants remain stuck in the region while seeking to move toward Western Europe.