The vehicle carrying the bodies of 24 illegal Haitian immigrants back from the Dominican Republic was attacked by a group of Haitians shortly after crossing the border on Thursday, reports reaching here said.

The two dozens of Haitians suffocated when they crammed in the back of a van that smuggled them into the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Their bodies were found in two separate locations around 220 km northeast of the Dominican capital Santo Domingo after they were thrown from the van, Dominican police said.

The Haitians attacked the truck delivering victims' bodies to a planned burial place with sticks and stones. They demanded an explanation for their compatriot deaths.

The driver was forced to return to the Dominican Republic. The immigrant bodies were buried in a Dominican mass grave now.

Dominican deputy attorney general Frank Soto said Haitian fury made it impossible to deliver the bodies to the location of the UN stabilization mission in Haiti.

Haitian media reported signs of gunshot wounds were found in the bodies.

The Dominican authorities said they had arrested more than 20 people for their part in the smuggle, including a van driver and his two assistants.

Up to 1 million Haitians, most of them illegal immigrants, are believed to be living in the Dominican Republic.

Source: Xinhua