The remains found in a refrigerator truck abandoned on the side of a highway in Vienna, Austria are believed to be 71 migrants fleeing from violence in Syria and Afghanistan.
Preliminary autopsies on sixteen of the victims revealed that people suffocated from lack of air.
Gerald Pangl, representative of Burgenland Police Force, stated during a press conference that, "We are still awaiting the final report from the forensic team."
Italian and Hungarian police have arrested four Bulgarians and one Afghan in relation to this incident, though they have not yet offered an explanation as to why.
"This tragedy underscores the ruthlessness of people smugglers who have expanded their business from the Mediterranean Sea to the highways of Europe," said Melissa Fleming in a CNN interview, a spokeswoman for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "It shows they have no regard for human life and are only after profit."
The bodies represent only a slight percentage of an influx of migrants coming into Europe from the Middle East and Africa, testing the continents' ability to cope and pushing the limits of their resources.
It is not unusual for immigrants headed to Europe to pay smugglers to drive them through the border. Though there are parts of the average migrant flight with more potential to harm, such as the boat trip from Turkey to Greece, this incident serves as a reminder that the entire journey is dangerous for those who choose it.
There are parallels to be seen in the United States, another area swelling with immigrants coming from Mexico, countries in South America, Cuba, Columbia, etc., running from violence typically caused by drug cartels or pursuing greater opportunity in the United States. Cubans attempting to illegally enter the United States
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are roughly 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in America. Consequently, the issue of illegal immigration has become a highlight of American politics and remains a highly controversial topic among America citizens.
“It’s not right to lock people up in a truck and let them suffocate,” NHS senior Peter Buck said. “It’s an unspeakable cruelty that has to be dealt with.”
While the vast majority of people agree with Buck when it comes to the vulgarity of the act, they have a harder time agreeing on a solution.
"There are a lot of people about to come into this nation because it’s safe," Newtown High School senior, Meera Gupta, said, “but there’s such an abundance of people coming in it’s suffocating our nation.”