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Essex lorry container deaths: What we know so far

39 bodies found in lorry trailer
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Police in Essex are investigating the deaths of 39 people who were found in a lorry container in Grays.

This is what we know so far:

At 1.40am on Wednesday, Essex Police received reports of a number of people discovered inside a lorry container.

The lorry was then found at Waterglade Industrial Park on Eastern Avenue. It had arrived there having left Purfleet 35 minutes before.

CCTV shows truck moments before it stops
CCTV of lorry before bodies found inside

The East of England Ambulance Service were the first emergency services on the scene and sent five ambulances, hazardous area response teams and a car from the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

Ambulance staff found all 39 people inside, including one teenager, dead.

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A murder investigation was launched by Essex Police.

The lorry driver, a 25-year-old from Northern Ireland, named in reports as Mo Robinson, was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was taken into police custody.

A cordon was erected at the industrial site in Grays while investigations took place. The lorry was later moved under police escort to a secure location in Tilbury Docks.

Lorry trailer containing bodies of 39 people removed

A casualty bureau has also been set up by police for people to call if they are concerned their relatives may have been involved in the incident.

How did the lorry container arrive in England?

Police say they believe the trailer travelled on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium around 4.30pm on Tuesday to Purfleet, Essex.

It docked in Thurrock at about 12.30am on Wednesday. Where the trailer was before Zeebrugge is unclear.

Mo Robinson
Image: Mo Robinson has been arrested on suspicion of murder

The tractor unit is believed to have originated in Northern Ireland.

Police believe the tractor unit and the trailer left the port in Thurrock shortly after 1.05am on Wednesday.

A freight ferry service runs between Zeebrugge and Purfleet.

One witness told Sky News he saw the lorry parked in the industrial park on Tuesday afternoon.

What have the authorities said?

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the lorry was registered in Varna, a city in the east of the country. It was registered in the name of a company owned by an Irish citizen.

But the ministry said it was "highly unlikely" the victims were Bulgarian. They also said the lorry hadn't been in the country since 2017.

The window of the cab has Irish stickers and it's believed many Irish trucks take on a Bulgarian identity for tax reasons.

preview image
Essex lorry: What we know so far

A road haulage expert said the lorry container looked like a refrigerated one. Temperatures inside could have dropped to -25C.

Officers from Essex Police, the National Crime Agency and Immigration Enforcement are all working on the case.

Essex Police said the process of identifying the people and where they were from may be "lengthy".