(Newswire.net — October 24, 2019) — A total of 39 bodies, including one teenager, were found in a truck container in Essex, UK, BBC reports.
The container-carrying truck arrived in Britain from Belgium, not Bulgaria as was previously thought. The driver (25) from Northern Ireland has been arrested.
British police say they believe the trailer of the truck, which carried 39 bodies Asian origin, presumably Chinese, came from the city of Zeebrugge, Belgium, in the port of Purfleet, on the river Thames, to the east of England. Police have previously said the truck is believed to have come from Bulgaria since it is registered in that country. However, the company that owns the truck is registered in Ireland.
The vehicle with the bodies was found shortly before 01:40 BST at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, the BBC cited the police report.
Police confirmed that at two o’clock in the morning, they received an ambulance call pointing them to the truck’s location. On the scene, police discovered 38 adult bodies and one teenager in the truck’s container. They have confirmed that a 25-year-old Northern Irishman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The police called on anyone with any information on the case to help in order to shed some light on this horrible event. They didn’t disclose additional details.
“To put 39 people into a locked metal container shows a contempt for human life; that is evil,” said Jackie Doyle-Price, a member of Parliament who represents the area where the truck was found. “The best thing we can do in memory of those victims is to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he said.
Seamus Laney, of the Freight Transport Association, said it is unlikely that the passengers were from Bulgaria.
“If the truck came from Bulgaria, then it is really illogical that it has gone a much longer way [through Belgium]. That’s how you lose the whole day.
The British Mirror has reported speculation that the truck was a refrigerator and that the temperature was -13 degrees (-25 Celsius). This information has not been officially confirmed.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in shock. He says news of the discovery of 39 bodies of men in a truck in Essex stunned him.
“I’m receiving regular updates. The Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened,” Johnson said.
“We know this trade is going on. All such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice,” the British prime minister said.
Britain remains an attractive destination for immigrants, even as the U.K. is negotiating its separation from the European Union.