Six women rescued from back of lorry in France after texts to reporter

The driver was arrested and an investigation has been launched amid suspicions of human trafficking

A panicked text message to a BBC reporter set off a frantic cross-border search. Picture: Ian West/PA

Six women have been rescued from the back of a refrigerated lorry with an Irish licence plate in France after a panicked text message to a BBC reporter set off a frantic cross-border search.

The women — four Vietnamese nationals and two from Iraq — spent more than 10 hours in the cramped space, surrounded by boxes of bananas, in hopes of making it to Britain or Ireland, according to the BBC.