Two female migrants found dead in a mountainous rural region of Bulgaria died due to freezing conditions, authorities said Sunday, as asylum seekers continue to try to reach the EU despite harsh winter weather. The women were part of a group of 19 migrants, including 11 children, found Saturday by border police near the south-eastern town of Malko Tarnovo. Their nationality was still unclear.
"Two women have died - one younger and another middle-aged. Our border guards made every effort to help them, carrying them in their arms to try to warm them up, but it happened because of the cold," Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova announced Sunday told private bTV television.
The area was under harsh winter conditions with high winds, some 30 centimetres (12 inches) of snow and freezing temperatures.
A ministry statement said one of the victims was a teenager - aged between 14 and 16 - and the other was between 30 and 40 years old.