Thirty-nine bodies were discovered in a truck in Grays, Essex (east of London) on the night of Tuesday 22 to Wednesday 23 October. The driver from Northern Ireland is 25 years old. He was arrested for murder, according to British police.
According to preliminary evidence, the truck was from Bulgaria and entered the United Kingdom on 19 October at Holyhead, a port on the west coast of Great Britain.
No details have yet been provided on the origin of the victims. No information as to the possibility that they are migrants. In recent years, many have tried to reach the United Kingdom by hiding in truck trailers or by boats crossing the Channel.
Identification process in progress
In view of the tightening of controls on the Channel coasts, Ireland may be a transit country on the migration routes due to the opening of borders between the country and the United Kingdom.
Andrew Mariner, Essex police chief, said "the process of identifying victims is under way".
Police were alerted around 1:40 by the rescue services, who discovered the victims, according to a statement from the police of Essex. It would be 38 adults and a minor.
A security device was put in place and the accesses of the Waterglade Industrial Zone, where the truck was discovered, were closed.
With AFP