39 dead in UK were Chinese, says media

London: The 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain were Chinese nationals, British media outlets reported on Thursday, citing sources. The victims were discovered in a container on the back of a truck in Grays, east of London, on Wednesday.

Grays, Oct. 24: British police said on Thursday that 39 people found dead in a truck near London were all believed to be Chinese nationals, in a case that has triggered national outrage over the human trafficking business.

Emergency workers discovered the bodies early on Wednesday inside the refrigerated container of a truck parked in an industrial area east of London, shortly after it had arrived on a ferry from Belgium.

Police are conducting the country’s largest murder probe in more than a decade into what Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

The local police force, who have arrested the truck’s driver, said in a statement that eight of the dead were women and 31 were men. “All are believed to be

■ Emergency workers discovered the bodies early on Wednesday inside the refrigerated container of a truck parked in an industrial area east of London

■ Police are conducting the country’s largest murder probe in more than a decade into what Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as an ‘unimaginable tragedy’

Chinese nationals,” Essex Police said.

China’s foreign ministry said its embassy staff in London were heading to the scene “to verify this situation”.

An embassy spokesperson said

Chinese authorities had read the reports with a “heavy heart” and were in close contact with police “to seek clarification and confirmation”.

The deaths echoed the discovery of 58 Chinese immigrants hidden in a Dutch truck in the English port of Dover in 2000. Only two people survived.

With the help of immigration officials and the National Crime Agency (NCA), Essex Police are leading the biggest murder probe in Britain since the 2005 London terror attacks that killed 52 people.

The force confirmed officers had searched three properties in Northern Ireland overnight in connection with the probe.

The addresses are believed to be linked to the arrested truck driver, a 25-year-old man from the province, said the police.