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Essex Police: 39 people found dead in lorry container Essex Police: 39 people found dead in lorry container
(about 1 hour later)
The bodies of 39 people have been found in a lorry container in Essex.The bodies of 39 people have been found in a lorry container in Essex.
Police were called by the ambulance service shortly before 01:40 BST after the discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Eastern Avenue, Grays. The vehicle, found shortly before 01:40 BST at Waterglade Industrial Park in Eastern Avenue, Grays, came to the UK from Bulgaria, police said.
Everyone inside the container, 38 adults and one teenager, died, Essex Police said.
The lorry driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.The lorry driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Essex Police said the vehicle travelled from Bulgaria and entered the UK via Holyhead, Anglesey, on Saturday. Police said the vehicle entered the UK via Holyhead, Anglesey, on Saturday.
Early indications are that 38 adults and one teenager have died, the force said. There were no survivors. Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills said identifying the victims remained a "number one priority", but was expected to be a "lengthy process".
Essex lorry deaths: Latest updates The National Crime Agency said it had sent officers to assist and identify any "organised crime groups who may have played a part".
Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills said identifying the victims "remains our number one priority". Seamus Leheny, Northern Ireland policy manager for the Freight Transport Association, said if the lorry had come from Bulgaria, getting into Britain via Holyhead was an "unorthodox route".
She appealed for anyone with information about the route the lorry may have taken, or anyone who had seen the vehicle or knew about its journey, to get in touch. He added with reports of increased security checks at Dover and Calais "it might be seen as an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourg or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Prime Minister's Questions it was an "unimaginable tragedy and truly heartbreaking". A spokesman for the Bulgarian foreign affairs ministry said it had not been confirmed whether the truck was registered in the country.
He said: "I know that the thoughts and prayers of all members will be with those who lost their lives and their loved ones. I'm receiving regular updates. The Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened." "There is also no indication of the nationality of the human bodies found in the truck," he said.
Police have appealed for witnesses and anyone with information about the lorry's route to contact them.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was an "unimaginable tragedy and truly heartbreaking".
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said: "I know that the thoughts and prayers of all members will be with those who lost their lives and their loved ones.
"I'm receiving regular updates. The Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened."
'Contempt for human life''Contempt for human life'
Irish Premier Leo Varadkar told the Dail that the deaths were a "human tragedy", adding that investigations would be undertaken to establish if the lorry had passed through Ireland. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "shocked and saddened", while Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price said it was "sickening news".
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "shocked and saddened by this utterly tragic incident", while Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price said it was "sickening news".
During PMQs, Ms Doyle-Price said: "To put 39 people into a locked metal container shows a contempt for human life that is evil. The best thing we can do in memory of those victims is to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."During PMQs, Ms Doyle-Price said: "To put 39 people into a locked metal container shows a contempt for human life that is evil. The best thing we can do in memory of those victims is to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."
She also paid tribute to the emergency services, saying what they had witnessed would stay with them forever. Mr Johnson responded saying "all such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice".
Seamus Leheny, Northern Ireland policy manager for the Freight Transport Association, said if the lorry had come from Bulgaria, getting into Britain via Holyhead was an "unorthodox route". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was an "unbelievable human tragedy", adding: "Can we just think for a moment of what it must have been like for those 39 people, obviously in a desperate and dangerous situation, for their lives to end, suffocated to death in a container?"
He said: "People have been saying that security and checks have been increased at places like Dover and Calais, so it might be seen as an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourg or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin. Irish Premier Leo Varadkar told the Dail that investigations would be undertaken to establish if the lorry had passed through Ireland.
"It's a long way around and it'll add an extra day to the journey."
How many migrants have died in transit?How many migrants have died in transit?
The number of migrants who die in transit has been recorded by the UN since 2014.The number of migrants who die in transit has been recorded by the UN since 2014.
Since then, five bodies of suspected migrants have been found in lorries or containers in the UK:Since then, five bodies of suspected migrants have been found in lorries or containers in the UK:
Data was not collected in the same way before the migrant crisis began in 2014, but such deaths are not new.Data was not collected in the same way before the migrant crisis began in 2014, but such deaths are not new.
In 2000, 58 Chinese migrants were found suffocated to death in a lorry at Dover.In 2000, 58 Chinese migrants were found suffocated to death in a lorry at Dover.
The National Crime Agency said it had sent officers to assist the investigation and identify any "organised crime groups who may have played a part". Ch Supt Andrew Mariner, from Essex Police, said he expected identifying the victims would be a "lengthy process". BBC Essex reporter Peter Walker described the scene on the industrial site as "quite chaotic".
A spokeswoman for Bulgarian police confirmed they were aware of the deaths. He said: "The number of bystanders and reporters is continuing to grow."
At the scene: Essex Police has set up a casualty bureau for anyone concerned about relatives to call.
BBC Essex reporter Peter Walker The British Red Cross has confirmed staff and volunteers were helping "those dealing with this terrible tragedy".
It's quite chaotic here and the number of bystanders and reporters is continuing to grow. Why so many are risking the back of a lorry
The industrial estate is huge and has lots of multi-national companies. The nearest residential property must be about half a mile away. By Nick Thorpe, Central Europe correspondent
Glen Freeland, from GSF Car Parts, which is close to where the bodies were found, said staff could not access their premises on Eastern Avenue. Since the completion of a fence on the Bulgaria-Turkey border, most asylum-seekers trying to reach Western Europe do so hidden in trucks.
"The manager went to get into work this morning and it was cordoned off and we've been moved to a different area," Mr Freeland said. One part of the smugglers' network hands them on to others. They are then kept in "safe" houses in Bulgaria, usually close to the Serbian or Romanian borders, to be put into new trucks bound for Western Europe.
Since 2016, there have been fewer and fewer ways to enter Western Europe legally - hence the desperation of those on the road.
Despite Turkey's incursion into Syria, there has been no spike in official numbers, which continue to fall. In the first nine months of this year, 1,742 applied for asylum in. Bulgaria. 132 were granted asylum, 212 were granted humanitarian status, and 932 were refused. In 2018, 2,536 applied, in 2017, 3,700, and in 2016, 19,480.
Are you in the area? If it is safe for you to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Are you in the area? If it is safe for you to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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