Vienna, Aug 28 (IANS): The decomposing bodies of over 70 suspected migrants were found in an abandoned truck with a Hungarian licence plate on the border with Austria, Austrian officials said on Friday.

Authorities had initially estimated that between 20 to 50 people died in the vehicle equipped with refrigeration, BBC reported. But the toll turned out to be higher.

Police discovered the bodies on Thursday morning after being sent to investigate the dumped vehicle on the A4 motorway heading towards Vienna.

Police said it appeared that those in the vehicle had been dead for one-and-a-half to two days. Their nationality was not immediately known.

The victims were probably already dead when the vehicle entered Austria from Hungary, the authorities said.

The truck had the logo of a Slovakian poultry company, Hyza, which said it no longer owned the vehicle but the buyers had not removed the branding.

The truck left the Hungarian capital Budapest on Wednesday morning.