The truck in which 39 dead bodies were found on Wednesday in Essex entered England via the Belgian city of Zeebrugge, report British media.
It was previously assumed that the truck carrying the container had arrived in England from Bulgaria via the town of Holyhead in Wales.
The bodies were found in the English town of Grays in Essex. “The emergency services arrived but unfortunately all 39 people in the container had died,” said deputy chief of police Pippa Mills of Essex at a press conference, adding that it concerned 38 adults and one teenager, reports VRT NWS. “This is an absolute tragedy,” he added.
It is still unclear where the victims come from, and whether or not they are migrants smuggled into Great Britain. Investigators are trying to identify the bodies as quickly as possible. “The identification of the victims is priority number one,” said Mills.
According to the police, the truck with the container had sailed by boat from Zeebrugge to the town of Purfleet and was then placed in Grays, reports De Morgen.
The front part of the truck is registered in Bulgaria, but according to the British police, the back part is from Ireland.
The truck driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
