Authorities in Austria are tightening up border controls along the eastern border between Austria and Hungary, according to Reuters. The move comes a week after 71 migrants were found dead in a truck along a Vienna highway, among them were three children and a baby girl.
Police stopped 200 migrants from illegally crossing the border overnight, according to the New York Times. Five alleged traffickers were arrested as authorities increased spot checks.
The tightened controls are set to be in place for an "unlimited" amount of time, according to Austria's interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner. "We want to save lives and fight the criminal smugglers," he continued, according to the New York Times.
The increased checks have led to an increase in wait times along the border, according to the Telegraph. Lines were up to 30 miles long at some points as officials continued to step up security.
Thousands of migrants have fled to the European Union, violence and danger on the rise in the Middle East and Africa, according to Reuters. More than 140,000 migrants have been caught trying to illegally cross the border, most heading to Germany.
In the last three days alone, authorities stopped 8,792 migrants from crossing the border, many of them coming from Serbia, according to Reuters.
