Police seek truck driver who was filmed whipping migrants near Italian-French border

ROME -- Italian border police are looking for a truck driver who is shown on a widely circulated video striking female migrants after he found them in the back of his vehicle near the French border, officials said Wednesday.

Smugglers loaded the 12 Eritrean women on the truck at a rest stop near the border on Monday while the trucker was having lunch, according to authorities. The women allegedly paid 100-150 euros ($110-$165) to be transported across the border. Authorities believe the truck driver was unaware of their presence.

Once closed inside the truck, the women apparently started agitating due to the heat, with outdoor temperatures over 30 degrees C (86 F), drawing the driver’s attention, officials in Ventimiglia said.

The video made by a witness — who asked not to be identified — shows the man striking at the women with the hardware end of a cargo strap as they got out one by one. At one point, one woman stood firm, shielding others so they could pass without being hit. The last woman to exit tried to grab the strap from him.

The women returned to a center run by the Catholic charity Caritas, where they had been staying. They attempted to cross two more times, again on Monday and Tuesday, before apparently making it on the third attempt, said Serena Regazzoni of Caritas Ventimiglia.

Mayor Flavio Di Muro condemned the trucker’s action, but also noted that he risked arrest if French police found him carrying migrants across the border.

“We must reflect on the security for truck drivers who are just doing their jobs. They shouldn’t run the risk without being aware of being accused of aiding clandestine immigration,’’ Di Muro said.

The truck driver was being sought for questioning. Officials said he was unlikely to face any sanction as it would require the women to make a formal complaint.

Ventimiglia in northern Italy has long been a hot spot along the migrant route as people who have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing seek to reach wealthier northern European countries, sometimes to join relatives.

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