Child with teddy bear among 16 undocumented migrants found in a truck

Sixteen undocumented migrants were found hiding in the back of a truck at the port of IJmuiden on Thursday. Among them were four children, one woman and eleven men, of various nationalities, the Koninklijke Marechaussee, a military policing force tasked with border security, said on Facebook.

An employee at the port, who asked to remain anonymous, told NH Nieuws that the children were "no older than around 8". He was there when the truck was opened. "There stood a small boy with a teddy bear in his hands", the port worker said.

The Marechaussee officers searched the truck after the 45-year-old Turkish driver went to the access gate of the ferry to England and told authorities there that he heard noises in the back of his truck. They found the people hiding between car parts.

The truck driver was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, the Marechaussee said. The police are investigating further.