Police have started moving the bodies of victims believed to be Chinese nationals who were discovered in a frozen lorry in Essex. Investigations are underway but Essex Police noted that it will take time before all of the bodies are recovered and identified.
According to BBC, a spokesperson for the Essex Police reiterated that they will focus on preserving the dignity of the victims who the authorities said are all "believed to be Chinese nationals."
Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, confirmed on social media that the Chinese Embassy already sent a delegation to Essex to discuss the matter. As of Wednesday, the nationality of the victims has not been officially confirmed.
While this is not the first time there have been reports of people-smuggling in the U.K., the discovery of 39 dead bodies in the lorry would be the largest murder investigation yet in the history of the Essex Police.
It is unclear how the victims passed away but police were given additional time to question the 25-year-old lorry driver, Mo Robinson, who is suspected of involvement in the deaths of the 31 men and eight women.
A witness told the Evening Standard that Robinson "passed out" upon opening the lorry doors to recover paperwork. The Essex Police have yet to confirm if the claims are true as the inquiry on Robinson is still going on.
An extra 24 hours have been granted to the police to interrogate Robinson and the details of the case after he picked up the trailer in Zeebrugge, Belgium, and before he traveled to Essex, England.
The Sun reported that three homes in the Armagh county have been raided by the investigating team. One of the homes is the Laurelvale residence of Robinson's parents, while another is the lorry driver's home near Markethill.
After the lorry was recovered by authorities, police were spotted bowing their heads as the truck moving the trailer passed by. Road Haulage Association CEO, Richard Burnett, noted that low oxygen levels could still have caused a slow and painful death to the victims even if the trailer wasn't chilled or set to refrigerate mode.
Burnett further explained that if the trailer was frozen, the temperature may have been somewhere around -25C. On the other hand, if the trailer was set on chill mode, the temperature may have reached -5C.
Meanwhile, Irish company Global Trailer Rentals Ltd (GTR) confirmed to RTE News on Thursday that it owns the frozen trailer where the bodies were found. A GTR spokesperson said the trailer was rented out on October 15.
Details about the company and person that leased the trailer have been forwarded to the investigating Essex Police team, the spokesman revealed. The company said it was "entirely unaware" that one of its trailers was used in a horrifying manner.
