The refugees from Afghanistan, India, Syria and Bangladesh were found crammed in the back of a van. A Gambian man has been arrested for suspected human trafficking.
Nidwalden cantonal police
Swiss police have arrested a man for suspected people smuggling, after they found 23 refugees in a van in central Switzerland.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/RTS/jc
Español
es
La policía suiza encuentra a 23 migrantes hacinados en una furgoneta
The refugees from Afghanistan, India, Syria and Bangladesh were very tightly packed together but alive, police in canton Nidwalden said on Tuesday. They were found during a check on heavy goods traffic on the A2 motorway outside the city of Lucerne.
The Italian-registered van had left from northern Italy and was travelling to France.
Police said the people, aged between 20 and 50, had been standing in a cramped space for hours without a break or a window through which to get fresh air. They were taken to Nidwalden police headquarters where they were questioned and given food. According to their explanations, they intended to travel to European countries through Switzerland.
Gambian arrested
The man arrested for suspected people smuggling is a 27-year-old Gambian living in Italy. A criminal investigation has been opened against him for human trafficking. During the first interrogation, he denied knowingly transporting the 23 people, according to the head of the criminal police.
The 23 refugees have now been placed in an asylum seekers’ centre. It will be up to Nidwalden cantonal authorities to decide on the further course of action concerning them.
Boats sail to Solothurn to celebrate 700 years of Le Landeron
This content was published on
The challenge of crossing Lake Biel from Le Landeron to Solothurn without a motor was taken up by 16 amateur crews on Saturday. The competition is part of Le Landeron's 700th anniversary celebrations.
Swiss cantonal ministers keep low profile on social media
This content was published on
A small base of followers and neutral posts: these are the conclusions that emerge from a study published by UNIL researchers into the use of social networks by councillors of state.
Swiss rents forecast to rise up to 5% annually, housing chief warns
This content was published on
Rents on the Swiss market are set to rise by between 3% and 5% a year over the next few years, warned Martin Tschirren, Director of the Federal Housing Office (FHO), on Sunday. "Demand for housing remains higher than supply".
This content was published on
The Council of the Swiss Abroad, meeting today in Bern, passed a resolution in favour of the new Electronic Identity Act (Id-e), which will be put to the vote on 28 September.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How welcoming is Switzerland for refugees?
This content was published on
Besides geography, politics and the solidarity of the population play a decisive role in determining which countries people flee to.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.