British police yesterday said that 39 bodies were found near London in the container of a truck thought to have come from Bulgaria.
Essex Police said the people were all pronounced dead at the scene in an industrial park in Grays, east of London.
Early indications suggest the victims are 38 adults and one teenager.
Photo:AP
A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
“This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives,” Essex Police Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his sympathies to the victims’ families.
“I’m appalled by this tragic incident in Essex,” he said.
“I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened,” he said.
“My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives and their loved ones,” Johnson added.
The police said they were alerted by ambulance services shortly before 1.40am following the discovery of a truck container with people inside it at the Waterglade Industrial Park.
“We are in the process of identifying the victims. However, I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process,” Mariner said.
“We believe the lorry is from Bulgaria,” he said.
“We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our inquiries continue,” Mariner said.
He said it was thought the truck entered Britain on Saturday at Holyhead on the northwest tip of Wales — one of the main ports for ferries from Ireland.
The UK and the Republic of Ireland are not in the EU’s no-borders Schengen zone, but have their own historic Common Travel Area, meaning there are no checks on the movement of goods or people between the two.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased, but whatever the circumstances, it highlights the danger of migrant gangs people-smuggling on lorries,” said Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, which represents truck drivers in Britain.
Jackie Doyle-Price, the lawmaker representing the local Thurrock constituency surrounding Grays, said the news was “sickening”.
“People trafficking is a vile and dangerous business. Let’s hope they bring these murderers to justice,” she said.
Cases of this kind are rare in Britain.
In 2014, staff at the Tilbury container port — next to Grays — heard screaming and banging coming from inside a shipping container, and found 34 Afghan Sikhs alive inside suffering from severe dehydration, hypothermia and lack of air.
One man was found dead, having passed away during the sea crossing from Belgium.
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