Macedonian police discover 73 migrants hidden in truck

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Macedonian police say they have discovered 73 illegal migrants in a truck during a routine check early Saturday near Macedonia’s border with Serbia.

The migrants are from Syria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Most of them are women with children, police said.

The 35-year-old truck driver, a Macedonian, has been detained. He had charged the migrants an undisclosed amount for the expected transfer across the border.

Macedonia, a tiny Balkan country wedged between Greece to the south and Serbia to the north, lies on a main travel route for migrants who want to reach wealthier European countries.

People smuggling has been on the rise since Balkan countries closed their borders to migrants in March.

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