LONDON: British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a truck container believed to have come from Bulgaria at an industrial estate to the east of London on Wednesday.

The discovery was made in the early hours after emergency services were alerted to people in the container, on a gritty industrial site in Grays, about 30 kilometres from central London.

Police said the driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, had been arrested on suspicion of murder. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled.

“I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with 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.”

Police said the truck was thought to have entered Britain at Holyhead, a Wales port that is a major entry point for traffic from Ireland, on Saturday and to have originally started its journey in Bulgaria.

The victims, 38 adults and one teenager, were all pronounced dead at the scene after they were found at an industrial park, not far from docks on the River Thames.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019