Bodies of 7 stowaways found in a container after 3-month journey
Seven bodies in a state of advanced decomposition were found on Friday, among a fertilizer shipment shipped from Serbia to Paraguay three months ago.
The container left Serbia on July 21 and arrived via Argentina earlier this week at an inland port in the Paraguayan capital Asunción, prosecutor Marcelo Saldivar said, according to the Paraguayan authorities report. The bodies were discovered when employees of the firm that ordered the fertilizer opened the container.
According to Saldivar, the victims are believed to be stowaways. It concerns seven adults. Two of them carried identity documents stating they were Moroccan. In addition, a receipt from a Serbian taxi company was also found, which suggests that they were hiding in the container in Serbia.
“We suspect they arrived there from their country of origin and planned to travel to a more nearby destination, but they miscalculated the distance and did not survive the trip,” said Saldivar. “The supplies they had – biscuits, bottled water, and food in cans – were enough for 72 hours.”
Police also found bags of clothes and an air vent in the container’s part where the bodies were found. “All bodies have perished. They are just hair and bones,” he added.
The cargo route will be investigated, Saldivar confirmed, along with the cell phones found with the bodies. Authorities in Morocco and Serbia will be notified to find out the identity of the victims.
