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M6 closed as 12 found in refrigerated lorry | M6 closed as 12 found in refrigerated lorry |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Twelve suspected illegal immigrants have been found in the back of a refrigerated lorry on the M6. | |
It was travelling northbound when a person in the back of the lorry called police at about 09:00 BST, requesting urgent assistance, officers said. | It was travelling northbound when a person in the back of the lorry called police at about 09:00 BST, requesting urgent assistance, officers said. |
The motorway was closed for a short time and the lorry was stopped between Hilton Park services and Junction 10a. | |
Police said the 12 were "dishevelled, frightened and extremely scared" and suffering from malnourishment. | |
They received medical treatment at nearby Hilton Park services for the effects of dehydration. | |
Border control staff are investigating. | |
'Could have died' | |
Supt Paul Keasey, from the Central Motorway Policing Group, said they claimed to be from Afghanistan and said they were being held in the lorry against their will. | |
"We don't take it [closing the motorway] lightly. We didn't know which lorry they were in," Supt Keasey said. | |
"Obviously we had the potential that 12 people could have died, so what we did was set up a rolling block on the motorway. | |
"We identified a vehicle with support from the helicopter, which was locating refrigerated trucks for us and luckily we found the 12 people still safe and well inside." | |
He said the lorry was not from the UK, but investigations were ongoing to establish its background. |
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