MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Major murder investigation in UK after 39 bodies found in refrigerated container

The corpses were found in a truck container at an industrial park in Grays, east of London, triggering outrage among politicians.

Britain launched a major murder investigation after the bodies of 39 people were found on Wednesday in a refrigerated truck, once again putting the spotlight on the shadowy people trafficking business. The corpses were found in a truck container at an industrial park in Grays, east of London, triggering outrage among politicians.

The local Essex Police force, which is working with immigration officials, said their initial priority was to try to identify the victims, thought at this stage to be 38 adults and one teenager.

The truck's driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in custody through Wednesday, the force added.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy and truly heart-breaking,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

He said the perpetrators of people smuggling, trading in human lives, “should be hunted down and brought to justice”.

Police were called to the scene at the Waterglade Industrial Park at around 1.40am local time (0040 GMT).

Officers in white forensic suits could be seen working by the truck and a white tent was erected outside through the day.

They later moved the vehicle to a “secure location” at nearby Tilbury docks, “so the bodies can be recovered whilst preserving the dignity of the victims,” deputy chief constable Pippa Mills told reporters.

“It's absolutely imperative that the operation is conducted with the utmost respect for the 39 people who've lost their lives,” she said, adding “this will be a lengthy enquiry”.

Police revealed that the vehicle's storage trailer section had come by ferry from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge into Purfleet, close to Grays on the River Thames estuary - a crossing that takes nine to 12 hours.

Authorities in Belgium said they had launched their own probe.

Essex police added the ferry docked at 12.30am (2330 GMT), and the truck then left the port area around half an hour later.

Britain's National Crime Agency said the number of migrants being smuggled into the UK in containers and trucks had risen in the last year.

In May the NCA said there had been “increasing use of higher risk methods of clandestine entry” to Britain by organised immigration crime gangs.