Refugee Drama on the A4 Still Shakes 10 Years Later

At the height of the refugee movement, Burgenland became the scene of a tragedy in 2015: On August 27, an Asfinag employee discovered a refrigerated truck weighing about 7.5 tons parked in a breakdown bay on the Eastern Motorway (A4) near Parndorf. In the airtight cargo hold were the bodies of 71 refugees who had suffocated during the smuggling journey. The four main perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary in 2019.

71 Refugees Suffocated in Truck

The investigators who opened the truck were met with a horrific sight. 71 people from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran had fought for their lives in the tightest of spaces. By the time the police arrived, decomposition fluid was already leaking from the cargo area. It later emerged that the refugees had died on Hungarian territory the day before they were found.

There were 59 men, eight women, and four children, including three families. The Burgenland judiciary estimated the time frame in which the refugees could have survived in the truck to be no more than three hours. It took days to remove the bodies from the heavy vehicle. Months passed before they were identified. One person remains unidentified to this day.

Trial Against 14 Defendants in Hungary

The case was handled in court in Hungary because the refugees almost certainly died there. Therefore, the Hungarian authorities took over the proceedings. The refugees had been taken over by the smugglers at the Hungarian-Serbian border and crammed into the truck. The Kecskemét prosecutor's office was responsible for the proceedings because the truck was likely to have started there.

The four main suspects were initially sentenced to 25 years in prison each in June 2018. A year later, their sentences were increased to life imprisonment on appeal. Ten other defendants received prison sentences ranging from four to eight years. The court emphasized in its reasoning that the defendants were aware that the people could suffocate in the hermetically sealed refrigerated truck. They also knew that the cargo hold could not be opened from the inside. The death of the refugees occurred because the smugglers prioritized their own escape over the lives of the 71 people.

The case triggered great national and international concern and had far-reaching political consequences. Just a few days after the drama became known, the large wave of refugees began. Tens of thousands set out and traveled via the Balkans and Austria towards Germany.

Forensic Pathologist: "They Knew They Were Going to Die"

The forensic medicine department of MedUni Vienna was tasked with conducting the autopsies shortly after the refrigerated truck was discovered. "They knew they were going to die," explained Nikolaus Klupp, head of the forensic medicine center at MedUni Vienna, in an APA interview.

On that late August day, the temperature was 28 degrees, which accelerates the decomposition process, Klupp points out. The deceased migrants were initially brought to the former veterinary border service station in Nickelsdorf, later to a cooling room of the Vienna funeral service in Simmering, and from there, six at a time, to forensic medicine. "By the end of the day, it was clear: 71 deceased, including 59 men and eight women. Four were children, three boys and one female infant."

All 71 deceased were autopsied, all had died from oxygen deprivation - they suffocated in the airtight truck. They were aware they were going to die.

"Memories Cannot Be Erased"

"I've been doing this job for 32 years. This was the most impactful experience during that time. Even when unloading the truck, we could tell who belonged to whom. That was already distressing," explained Klupp. The 71 people were crammed together on the loading area, but it was evident that there were families who belonged together. "These are memories that cannot be erased."

From departure to death on Hungarian territory, the vehicle with the smugglers was on the road for three hours. "It was a struggle for life. They knew they were going to die." There wasn't much space in the truck, everyone stood close together. "They tried to kick the door open. However, the refrigerated truck has a thick outer shell and is airtight." In children, suffocation occurs earlier than in adults: "Everyone noticed it with the children."

Laborious Work for Identification

Three forensic pathologists, autopsy assistants, and the crime scene teams of the state criminal offices of Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland worked "more or less day and night" until all 71 individuals were autopsied by September 2. The cooperation with the police officers worked very well, according to Klupp. While the forensic pathologists worked with the bodies, they were responsible for the documents or mobile phones found.

Cash was discovered in sewn-in extra compartments in the underwear, and an expert was brought in for tattoos in Arabic script, Klupp describes the meticulous work of identification. All but one person were eventually identified through DNA. While all the deceased were transferred to their countries of origin or the country specified by relatives, this person found their final resting place at the Vienna Central Cemetery.

"Extremely Stressful" Work for Doctors and Police Officers

"The worst thing about identifications is when something is mixed up or can no longer be clearly assigned. This was handled really professionally here," emphasized Klupp. Therefore, the same numbers are consistently used for each case. At the forensic medicine in Vienna - where normally 400 to 500 autopsies are conducted annually - all autopsy reports have been created in DVI-compliant format since the Parndorf incident. DVI stands for "Disaster Victim Identification" and is central in mass disasters. All key points of the person are recorded and digitized to enable identification later.

The work on the case of the 71 deceased was "extremely stressful" even for experienced doctors and police officers, according to Klupp. "Internal communication is very important." The group worked intensively as a team and also talked about their experiences. "You must not take the cases home with you. If you start dreaming about corpses, you are in the wrong profession," Klupp stated.

Art Installation Remembers the Victims

On the tenth anniversary, the 71 deceased refugees will be commemorated with a permanent art installation. The "Memory Box 71" by artist Michael Kos will be installed in the Burggarten of Friedensburg Schlaining. It is intended to remember the men, women, and children who died in the refrigerated truck on their way to Central Europe.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.