Police in the town of Grays, Essex, in the UK, on Wednesday morning discovered 39 bodies, including one teenager, in a truck container that was parked in an industrial park. The bodies were discovered at 1:40 AM. The driver, 25, from Northern Ireland, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police believe the truck was originally from Bulgaria and arrived in Essex from Holyhead, Wales, which is a harbor for ferries going to and from Ireland.
Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner issued a statement saying: “This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives. Our inquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened.
“We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process.
“We believe the lorry is from Bulgaria and entered the country at Holyhead on Saturday 19 October and we are working closely with our partners to investigate.
“We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue. I appreciate this cordon is going to disrupt the activity of local businesses in the area and we will work to ensure that disruption is kept as short as possible. We are working with Thurrock Council to mitigate against any impact our investigation scene will have locally.”