
Essex Police moved the lorry to a secure location so the
bodies inside could be recovered. The lorry driver, named locally as Mo
Robinson, 25, from the Portadown area of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, has
been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Essex Police said the trailer arrived via ferry from
Zeebrugge, Belgium, into Purfleet on the River Thames. The ship docked in the
Thurrock area shortly after 00:30, the force said.
It is believed the container and lorry then left the port
together about 35 minutes later. Everyone inside the container, 38 adults and
one teenager, died, Essex Police said.
Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills said identifying the
victims remained a "number one priority", but was expected to be a
"lengthy process".
The National Crime Agency said it had sent officers to
assist and identify any "organised crime groups who may have played a
part".
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage
Association, said the container appeared to be a refrigerated unit, where
temperatures could be as low as -25C.
He described conditions for anyone inside as
"absolutely horrendous". A spokesman for the Bulgarian foreign
affairs ministry confirmed the truck was registered in the country.
"The Scania truck was registered in Varna (on the east
coast) under the name of a company owned by an Irish citizen," he said. bbc
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