18 people found dead in an abandoned truck by Bulgarian police find
The vehicle appeared to have been illegally transporting about 40 migrants. The survivors have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
The people in the truck were cold, and wet and had not eaten in days, the health minister said.
It is believed to be the deadliest incident involving migrants in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria has long struggled with many people trying to enter the European Union from Turkey.
The truck - found near the village of Lokorsko, 12 miles (20km) north-east of Bulgaria's capital, Sofia - was illegally transporting the migrants hidden under some wood, the interior ministry said.
Health Minister Asen Medzhidiev described the conditions inside the truck: "There has been a lack of oxygen to those locked in this truck. They were freezing, wet; they had not eaten for several days."
Fourteen people found alive in the truck, including eight in serious condition, were taken to hospital, he added. In comparison, another ten people were found hiding nearby and were taken to hospital for examination.
Police are searching for the human traffickers believed to have driven the truck and fled, officials, said.
Bulgaria has faced accusations it is abusing people attempting to enter from Turkey, with asylum seekers saying they have been blocked, arrested, stripped and beaten.
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