Austria lorry deaths: What we know so far

An abandoned lorry was found on the edge of an Austrian motorway yesterday and 71 bodies were discovered in the back Credit: REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

Here is a summary of what we know so far following the discovery of 71 bodies in the back of an abandoned lorry in Austria:

What happened?

  • An abandoned lorry, with human remains in the back, was discovered parked on the edge of an Austrian motorway at around lunchtime on Thursday

Who was killed?

  • The decomposing bodies of 71 people were found in the back of the abandoned van

  • The dead included 59 men, eight women and four children aged between one and 10

  • A baby girl - aged between one and two - was also among the victims

  • The victims suffocated in the back of the vehicle

  • Officials discovered a "Syrian travel document" in the back of the van leading authorities to believe those who died were migrants

What route did the lorry take?

ITV News' Juliet Bremner looks at the events leading up to the tragedy:

What do we know about the suspects who have been arrested?

  • Four people have been arrested in Hungary in connection with the tragedy

  • Three of the suspects are Bulgarian and one is an Afghan citizen

  • Officials believe a Bulgarian-Hungarian trafficking ring could be behind the deaths

Investigators took the abandoned lorry to a refrigerated store area so they could identify the decomposing bodies Credit: REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

Another migrant tragedy

  • Sadly yes - the abandoned lorry was discovered on the same day that hundreds of migrants were feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya

  • Following the tragedy German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated "that we must tackle quickly the issue of immigration" and act to distribute refugees among EU members

  • Shortly after the discovery of the bodie, the UN refugee agency UNHCR released figures showing the more than 2,500 migrants and refuges had died at sea this year in an attempt to reach to Europe