The incident occurred in the afternoon of July 15 at the Autoporto of Ventimiglia, in the eastern part of the Italian region of Liguria near the French border.

The man's actions, currently under investigation by police, were captured on video by a passerby. The video went viral within hours.

The footage shows a man shouting and yelling as he forced the migrants off his truck, where they had hidden, likely trying to reach France. As the migrants descend one by one from the trailer, he lashes out at them using a cargo strap with a steel point as a whip.

Some managed to escape without being whipped, but others were not so fortunate. There were approximately twelve migrants of African origin on the trailer.

The brutal violence lasted for over a minute, as shown in the video.

According to reports by the newspaper "Il Secolo XIX," all the girls are of Eritrean origin.

Also read: Italy's MEDU publishes migrant abuse report on World Torture Day

Caritas: 'These images evoke pain'

They had been sheltered by Caritas Intemelia in Ventimiglia, where they returned and explained what had happened to them.

"These images are shocking and evoke pain," commented Serena Regazzoni, head of the migration area of Caritas Intemelia.

"Over the past few days, we've noticed an increase in the number of people passing through: minors and very young women. The lack of a shelter camp continues to create an unbridgeable void."

The previous night, the group of migrants had slept at the PAD, a reception point providing assistance to those arriving in Ventimiglia. The PAD, a facility built next to the train station, is the only reference point for medical assistance and support for migrants since the closure of the Roja reception center, according to Caritas.

Also read: Ventimiglia's migrant tent camp along Roya river to be cleared