18 migrants and their smuggler have been detained in Hungary

Police have detained a Swedish national accused of people smuggling and 18 illegal migrants in Veszprém County, in western Hungary, the county police said on the website police.hu on Friday.

Police sought to stop a minivan with Hungarian licence plates on Thursday morning, which drove on and crashed into the protective barrier on the roadside. The 43-year-old driver tried to escape from the scene but was arrested within a short while.

Police have detained 18 illegal migrants in the cargo compartment of the van. They all said they were Syrian citizens.

Legal proceedings have been launched against the driver while the illegal migrants have been taken back to a holding area at the border.