British police detained two people on Friday on suspicion of human trafficking linked to the deaths of 39 people believed to be Chinese nationals who were discovered in a lorry container near London.
Essex Police said they arrested a man and a woman, both aged 38, in the north-western town of Warrington on suspicion of “conspiracy to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 counts of manslaughter.”
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“A 25-year-old man, the driver of the lorry, remains in custody on suspicion of murder,” they said.
The man, from Northern Ireland, drove the tractor unit that was used to collect a trailer containing the 39 suspected migrants from the freight port of Purfleet early Wednesday.
The police gave no further details of the charges against the two suspects arrested on Friday.
British media reported that a couple, who had registered the tractor unit in Bulgaria in 2017 were living in Warrington.
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In Beijing, meanwhile, the Chinese government said officials were assisting Essex Police.
“It is still not possible to confirm whether [the victims] are Chinese nationality,” said Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Hua Chunying.
“The relevant Chinese departments are working closely together,” Hua said.
“We hope that the British side will confirm the identity of the victims as soon as possible, find out the truth and severely punish the criminals involved in the case,” she added.
A spokesperson said the Chinese embassy in London had sent a team to work with the British police.
Essex Police said authorities began moving the bodies of the victims to a mortuary late Thursday to prepare for post-mortem examinations from Friday.
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“Formal identification will then follow the coronal process and will be a lengthy, but crucial part of this investigation,” the police said.
“The picture may change regarding identification” as the investigation progresses.’’
The Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said the container was shipped from the port of Zeebrugge on Tuesday.
Joachim Coens, the CEO of the port of Zeebrugge, told the Belga News Agency late Wednesday that he believed it was unlikely that the 39 people entered the container there.
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“A refrigerated container arrives here fully locked and sealed,” Coens said.
“During the control, the seals are checked, and the licence plate and driver are also controlled with cameras.”
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said he was “appalled” by the deaths which migrant rights groups blamed partly on a crackdown on illegal migration by British authorities.
