London
British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a truck believed to have come from Bulgaria at an
industrial estate to the east of London on Wednesday, and said they had arrested the driver on
suspicion of murder.
The discovery was made in the early hours after emergency services were alerted to people in
the truck container, on a gritty industrial site in Grays, about 20 miles from central London.
The truck was thought to have entered Britain at Holyhead, a North Wales port that is a major
entry point for traffic from Ireland, on Saturday and to have originally started its journey in
Bulgaria, police said. The driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, was in
custody. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled.
“I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we
establish exactly what has happened,” Johnson said on Twitter. “My thoughts are with all those who lost
their lives & their loved ones.”
All those in the container, 38 adults and one teenager, were pronounced dead at the scene after
the emergency services were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park, not far from docks on the River
Thames.
Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said it could not confirm at this stage whether the truck had
started its journey from the country. “We are still checking the information, published in the British
media and we’re contacting the authorities,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Tsvetana Krasteva said.—
Reuters
