Hungary detains man accused of being migrant smuggler

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Hungarian prosecutors say a Romanian man suspected of human trafficking has been placed under preliminary arrest for allegedly cramming 150 migrants into the back of a truck.

Prosecutors from Csongrad County said the unidentified man, who was captured by police a few days ago, was supposed to receive 300 euros ($325) to take the migrants from southern Hungary to Austria last June.

The migrants were loaded into the truck, whose enclosed cargo area measured just 10.5 square meters (113 square feet), but the suspect and some accomplices abandoned the vehicle after a 10-minute drive, because the excess weight made it difficult to control.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that the lack of oxygen could have killed the migrants, 104 of whom were detained by police at the scene, in just 20-25 minutes.