Vienna - Police in the Austrian capital found 24 Afghan refugees sealed into a small truck they stopped, according to the Austrian news agency APA late on Tuesday.
The refugees were not harmed, but faced extreme danger because the truck had been so tightly sealed that no fresh air could enter, police indicated.
The truck was believed to have come from Hungary. Just last week, the bodies of 71 migrants were found in a truck parked in Austria with the doors sealed shut.
According to APA, the driver of the truck stopped on Tuesday night tried to flee, but was caught. The sliding side door of the truck had been welded shut, and the tailgate had been locked.
A police spokesman said the 24 refugees were confined in a space measuring just 3.35 metres by 1.75 by 1.8.
Since the young Afghans were still in relatively good health, police estimated the truck had not travelled a far distance.
DPA