Tanzania’s Deputy Interior Minister Pereira Silima said they had come from Ethiopia and died from asphyxiation.
Local officials said more than 120 people had been packed into the truck, which was headed for Malawi.
Tanzanian and Malawi have become key staging posts for people fleeing drought and conflict in Somalia and Ethiopia, and trying to reach South Africa.
‘Dumped the dead’
Mr Silima said that according to survivor accounts, the 127 migrants had started off from Ethiopia in two trucks.
They passed through Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and onto the Tanzania town of Arusha where they were transferred into one lorry, he told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.
The driver noticed there were problems in the central Dodoma region and stopped the vehicle.
“When he found out that at least 41 were dead, he released the survivors and dumped the dead in the bush,” the minister said.
The container truck then drove off and the authorities are trying to trace it and the driver, he said.
Nearby villagers helped the survivors, one of whom later died.
Mr Silima said when the migrants were well enough, they would be taken to court and their embassy would be contacted.
Last week, at least 47 East African migrants drowned when their boat capsized on Lake Malawi after sailing from Tanzania.
Source: BBC
Boru
July 13, 2012 at 5:57 pm
They are deceived, but not the problem of employment because they have paid more than 50,000 Birr(>3000$ USD) to the deceivers but this huge amount of money cover the salary of Diploma graduate for 2years.
Yilma
June 28, 2012 at 9:51 am
Never before in our long history have Ethiopians been subjected to such unfathomable atrocities, deprivation and humility as today.
How can we allow this to continue? Are we Ethiopians not guilty of collaborating with the enemy Woyanes by letting them do this to us?.
If we must die before our time, is it not incumbent on us to die fighting the enemy like our ancestors used to do?
If a tiny mercinary outfit is committed to destroy Ethiopia, how can a whole nation of 80 million fail to mount an appropriate response to suicidal Woyane’s brutal occupation?
TT
June 27, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Rip my brothers and sisters!
The 47 people who perished inside the truck, the 60 who lost their lives in Lake Malawa and the countless others who died in their way to Yemen to escape famine, unemployment harassment and ethnic cleansing are the real Ambassadors of Ethiopia. Their lives tell the real life stories of current citizens of Ethiopia. No amount of 11% growth could hide this fact!
Yilma
June 28, 2012 at 10:43 am
Pity the nation of the brave Ethiopians has turned has become the laughing stock of the rest of the world under Woyane occupation.
Well, the time is not far for our historical enemies to account for the untold atrocities these immoral, despicable, dishonourable mercinaries have committed.
We can never stop grieving for the thousands of compatriots Woyanes have driven to their deaths both at home and in distant lands.
We have moaned enough. Action is called for. Is it not more honourable to die fighting the very enemy if we must die anyway? If we revist history,that was what our brave ancestors did.
The threshold for the requisite sparlk to ignite seems pretty close. I have no doubt that Woyanes will live to rue their actions behind bars in not too distant future.