A senior official in Pas-de-Calais province said the group of refugees were spotted when drivers heard their calls for help while the car was parked at a rest stop on the highway.
The migrants were confirmed to be from Eritrea, an East African country. They were in a state of hypothermia when discovered and were immediately taken to the emergency room by French medical staff.
Christian Vedelago, head of the Pas-de-Calais provincial office, said the Eritrea refugees may have been in the trucks for hours.
Vedelago added that four of them had to be hospitalized, while the others were identified as minors and had been given care to a care unit. This group also had 1 female member.
Notably, some of the rescued had received an official order to leave France.
Meanwhile, the Morocco truck driver - who was transporting frozen vegetables - was not being investigated, according to Vedelago.
Pas-de-Calais province and other areas in northern France, especially ports, have been hit by illegal migrations.
Despite authorities always conducting rigorous security checks, migrants still find ways to get to the area to board ferry trips to England.
However, due to increasingly tightened security, the route to sea by small boats has now become more popular.
