TRIPOLI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Libyan security on Monday recovered eight bodies of illegal immigrants, who suffocated to death inside a closed truck, in the western city of Zuwara, some 120 km east of the capital Tripoli.
"A large truck refrigerator used to transport fish and meat was seized next to Mellitah gas complex with 100 illegal immigrants inside it suffering a severe suffocation because of gallons of gasoline inside the closed truck," Zuwara's security directorate said in a statement.
The migrants suffocated because they were kept for too long inside the locked truck. Six children, a woman and a man died, and the rest were taken to the city's hospital, the security directorate said.
The owners of the truck were identified and the security services are looking for them.
Smugglers take advantage of the insecurity and chaos in Libya to send thousands of illegal immigrants through the Mediterranean towards Europe.
