More than 40 men and boys have been found alive in a refrigerated truck on a motorway in northern Greece.

It comes 10 days after the bodies of 39 people, believed to be Vietnamese migrants, were discovered in the back of a lorry trailer in Essex.

British police have charged two men with manslaughter over their deaths, and eight people have been arrested in Vietnam.

Greek police say all but two of the group found on Monday – an Iranian and a Syrian – were from Afghanistan, and that six of them were minors.

They were discovered hiding in the vehicle after it was stopped for a routine check near the city of Xanthi.

The truck, which had Bulgarian number plates, is believed to have crossed into Greece from neighbouring Turkey.

The driver, a 40-year-old man from Georgia, was arrested and taken to a nearby police station for questioning.

The refrigeration system had not been turned on.

Some of the migrants asked for medical assistance, and eight of them were treated in hospital for breathing problems.

Hundreds of people cross Greece’s land and sea border with Turkey each week, with the vast majority hoping to make their way to other, more prosperous European countries.

In recent years, road accidents – mainly in northern Greece – involving migrants trying to cross into other countries have become more common – and dozens of people have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking in 2019.

Around 34,000 asylum seekers and refugees are being held in overcrowded camps on the Aegean islands, under conditions which human rights groups have described as appalling.

The numbers of children travelling alone have also increased, with around 1,000 minors arriving since July, according to the Greek labour ministry. The total number is estimated at more than 5,000.

The ministry, which is pledging to build more facilities and shelters for migrant children, has claimed a fifth of them are now missing.

The conservative government that came to power in July has vowed to move up to 20,000 migrants off the islands and deport 10,000 people who do not qualify for asylum by the end of 2020.

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