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39 Bodies Found In Truck Container In Southeast England

A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The truck container was found at Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex.
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The truck container was found at Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex.

A murder investigation has been launched after the discovery of 39 dead bodies in a truck container in Essex, southeast England, early Wednesday morning.

Early indications suggest 38 of the dead are adults and one is a teenager.

A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A cordon has been put in place and access to and from the Waterglade Industrial Park, where the truck container was found, remains closed.

Police Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said: “This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives. Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened.

“We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process.

“We believe the lorry is from Bulgaria and entered the country at Holyhead on Saturday, 19 October, and we are working closely with our partners to investigate.

“We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident who remains in police custody as our enquiries continue.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

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