Source: Reuters
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled by the news of 39 bodies found in a trailer on Wednesday, with media speculation pointing to victims of human trafficking who froze to death.
Johnson said he was was receiving regular updates about the investigation which was focused on human trafficking.
“We know that this trade is going on - all such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice,” he said.
'We know that this trade is going on, all such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice'
British police said they believed the trailer from a truck found on Wednesday containing the bodies of 39 people had traveled from Belgium into the port of Purfleet in eastern England. It then docked in the Thurrock area at around 12:30am local time for around 35 minutes before departing, Essex Police said in a statement.
The discovery of the bodies - 38 adults and one teenager - was made in the early hours after emergency services were alerted to people in a truck container on an industrial site in Grays, about 20 miles east of central London. The trailer was said to be a refrigerated unit.
Authorities had originally reported that the truck had traveled via Holyhead in Wales. But police later said the trailer had arrived at nearby docks having traveled from Zeebrugge in Belgium and the bodies were found just over an hour later.
British police said they had arrested the driver on suspicion of murder.
Bulgarian public broadcaster BNR, citing unnamed sources, said the truck was registered in Bulgaria on 19 June 2017. It left the Balkan country the next day and has not returned since.
