The bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who were found dead in a truck in Bulgaria over three months ago arrived in Kabul on Wednesday, officials said.
The bodies were found in a secret compartment in an abandoned truck carrying timber near the capital Sofia in February. Bulgarian authorities confirmed all 18 had died of suffocation.
Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman of the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said that the Afghan government paid for the repatriation of the bodies.
He blamed the Bulgarian legal process for their delayed return and the “cruel banking restrictions” imposed on Afghanistan since the takeover of the country by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Eight of the victims are from Nangarhar, one from Kunar, one from Kapisa, two from Maidan Wardak, one from Logar and five from Kabul.
Takal said the bodies of the migrants have been transported to their respective provinces by ambulance.
