About 300 Indian Travelers Stuck At A French Airport Amid Human Trafficking Probe
HuffPost
Authorities in France say about 300 Indian citizens heading to Central America are sequestered in a French airport for a third day because of an investigation into suspected human trafficking.
VATRY, France (AP) — About 300 Indian citizens heading to Central America were sequestered in a French airport for a third day Saturday after a dramatic police operation prompted by a tip that those aboard might be victims of human trafficking, authorities said.
Those aboard included children and families. The youngest passenger is a toddler of 21 months, and among the children are several unaccompanied minors, according to the local civil protection agency.
Two of the passengers have been detained as part of a special investigation into suspected human trafficking by an organized criminal group, according the Paris prosecutor's office. Prosecutors wouldn’t comment on what kind of trafficking was alleged, or whether the ultimate destination was the U.S., which has seen a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-U.S. border this year.
French authorities hung white tarps across the soaring bay windows of the small Vatry Airport in Champagne country to ensure privacy for the passengers held inside. The unmarked A340 plane, grounded since Thursday, can be seen parked near the terminal. Other flights were canceled or rerouted as the airport was transformed into the hub of a vast trafficking investigation.
The 15 crew members of the Legend Airlines charter flight — en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua — were questioned and released, according to a lawyer for the Romania-based airline.
It comes two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
The teenager was healthy before developing symptoms and is not known to have any contact with infected animals, health officials said.
Images online showed people damaging property and setting firecrackers. A police vehicle was later burned out in a nearby street and police said they suspect arson.
Afghanistan has had the highest number of children made homeless by climate disasters of any country as of the end of 2023, according to a report.
New Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people including children in Lebanon and northern Gaza.
The Dutch capital imposed the ban following attacks by youth on fans of an Israeli soccer club, as well as anti-Palestinian behavior and chants by those fans.
Qatar officials told Israel and Hamas that it can't continue to mediate “as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith."
Experts called the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip “extremely grave and rapidly deteriorating."
The Santiago-based organization is asking the government to recognize them legally as a religious association.
Some 62 people were arrested over the violence following the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries.