Dead migrants found in abandoned truck near Austrian capital

VIENNA -- As regional leaders met Thursday to tackle Europe's refugee crisis, a gruesome discovery unfolded a short drive from the Austrian capital: An abandoned truck was found with at least 20 -- and possibly up to 50 -- decomposing bodies of migrants piled inside.

It was the latest tragedy in a year that has seen tens of thousands of people risking all to seek a better life or refuge in wealthy European countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the Vienna conference she was "shaken by the awful news," and summit participants held a minute of silence.

"This reminds us that we in Europe need to tackle the problem quickly and find solutions in the spirit of solidarity," Merkel said.

Migrants fearful of death at sea in overcrowded and flimsy boats as they flee turmoil and war in the Middle East increasingly have turned to using a land route to Europe through the Western Balkans.

But the discovery of the bodies in the truck on the main highway connecting Vienna to the Hungarian capital of Budapest showed there is no truly safe path.

Thousands cross from Greece daily with the help of smugglers, aiming to reach European Union countries such as Germany, Austria or Sweden and apply for asylum. The human traffickers may charge thousands of dollars per person, only to stuff them into trucks and vans so tightly they cannot move -- or breathe.

Austrian police declined to say what killed those found in the truck, pending an investigation.

The state of decomposition made establishing identities and even the exact number of dead difficult. Senior police official Hans Peter Doskozil said that "20, 30, 40 -- maybe 50" corpses were inside.