THIRTY-NINE bodies including 1 teen found in Essex lorry sparking mass murder probe
Police have launched one of the UK’s biggest ever murder probes after the bodies of 39 people, including one teenager, were found in the back of a lorry in Essex. The lorry’s driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police have not said where those who died are from or where they were thought to have been traveling.
According to BBC, Police were called by the ambulance service shortly before 01:40 BST after the discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Eastern Avenue, Grays. Essex Police said the vehicle traveled from Bulgaria and entered the UK via Holyhead, Anglesey, on Saturday.
Early indications are that 38 adults and one teenager have died, the force said. There were no survivors. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Prime Minister’s Questions it was an “unimaginable tragedy and truly heartbreaking”. He said: “I know that the thoughts and prayers of all members will be with those who lost their lives and their loved ones. I’m receiving regular updates. The Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened.”
Irish Premier Leo Varadkar told the Dail that the deaths were a “human tragedy”, adding that investigations would be undertaken to establish if the lorry had passed through Ireland.
The fact that the lorry arrived at Holyhead on Saturday suggests those who died may have been in the back of the vehicle for at least four days. A member of the Freight Transport Association (FTA) said the lorry could have got a ferry from France to Ireland, then driven through Ireland before boarding another boat to Britain.
Seamus Leheny said: ‘If the lorry came from Bulgaria, getting into Britain via Holyhead is an unorthodox route. ‘People have been saying that security and checks have been increased at places like Dover and Calais, so it might be seen as an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourg or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin. It’s a long way around and it’ll add an extra day to the journey.’ According to Dailymail.co.uk