Jump to content

Essex lorry deaths: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 51°28′44″N 0°16′24″E / 51.4789°N 0.2733°E / 51.4789; 0.2733
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎Incident: It has been Reported (but not confirmed), most news reports state (in various levels of detail) that the lorry driver called the ambulance, but that Police would not confirm.
Undid revision 923314943 by Aeonx (talk) - the Daily Mail has been deemed unreliable - see WP:DAILYMAIL
Line 36: Line 36:
|coordinates = {{coord|51.4789|0.2733}}
|coordinates = {{coord|51.4789|0.2733}}
}}
}}
On 23 October 2019, shortly after 01:40 [[British Summer Time|BST]], staff of the [[East of England Ambulance Service]] found 39 bodies in a [[refrigerated truck|refrigerated articulated lorry]].<ref name="BBC_50185788">{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788 |title=Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear relatives among dead |date=25 October 2019 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20191025152830/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788 |archive-date=25 October 2019 |access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> The lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the Waterglade Industrial Park in [[Grays]], Essex. The ambulance service informed the police, and they arrived shortly after. Several News agencies have reported that the lorry driver called the ambulance service, but police would have not confirmed this.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/world/europe/bodies-found-truck-essex.html |title=39 Bodies Found in Truck in U.K.; Police Seek to Retrace Fatal Journey |last=Peltier |first=Elian |date=23 October 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=23 October 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023133007/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/world/europe/bodies-found-truck-essex.html |archive-date=23 October 2019 |last2=Specia |first2=Megan |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Martin |title=Revealed: 39 Chinese migrants found in death trap lorry had travelled 5,000 miles and may have been locked in airless, freezing trailer for DAYS |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7609739/Death-truck-driver-PASSED-saw-bodies-39-migrants.html |accessdate=27 October 2019 |agency=DailyMail.co.uk |publisher=MailOnline|date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
On 23 October 2019, shortly after 01:40 [[British Summer Time|BST]], staff of the [[East of England Ambulance Service]] found 39 bodies in a [[refrigerated truck|refrigerated articulated lorry]].<ref name="BBC_50185788">{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788 |title=Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear relatives among dead |date=25 October 2019 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20191025152830/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788 |archive-date=25 October 2019 |access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> The lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the Waterglade Industrial Park in [[Grays]], Essex. The ambulance service informed the police, and they arrived shortly after. Who called the ambulance service has not been reported.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/world/europe/bodies-found-truck-essex.html |title=39 Bodies Found in Truck in U.K.; Police Seek to Retrace Fatal Journey |last=Peltier |first=Elian |date=23 October 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=23 October 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023133007/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/world/europe/bodies-found-truck-essex.html |archive-date=23 October 2019 |last2=Specia |first2=Megan |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


Shortly after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=EssexPol25>{{cite web |title=Update: Friday 25 October 18:07 |url=https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2019/october/murder-investigation-launched-after-39-people-found-dead-in-lorry-container/ |publisher=Essex Police |accessdate=27 October 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026011806/https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2019/october/murder-investigation-launched-after-39-people-found-dead-in-lorry-container/ |archivedate=25 October 2019}}</ref> The lorry driver was a 25-year-old man from [[Portadown]], [[County Armagh]], Northern Ireland. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="EssexPol25" />
Shortly after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=EssexPol25>{{cite web |title=Update: Friday 25 October 18:07 |url=https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2019/october/murder-investigation-launched-after-39-people-found-dead-in-lorry-container/ |publisher=Essex Police |accessdate=27 October 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026011806/https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2019/october/murder-investigation-launched-after-39-people-found-dead-in-lorry-container/ |archivedate=25 October 2019}}</ref> The lorry driver was a 25-year-old man from [[Portadown]], [[County Armagh]], Northern Ireland. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="EssexPol25" />

Revision as of 19:46, 27 October 2019

Essex lorry deaths
The location where the bodies were discovered in Essex
Date23 October 2019
Time01:40 BST (UTC+1)
LocationGrays, Essex, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°28′44″N 0°16′24″E / 51.4789°N 0.2733°E / 51.4789; 0.2733
Deaths39
Arrests5

On 23 October 2019, the bodies of 39 people were found in a refrigerated articulated lorry in Grays, Essex, United Kingdom. They are believed to have been victims of human trafficking or were migrants being smuggled into the UK. The trailer had been shipped from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Purfleet, UK, and the lorry cab is believed to have come from Northern Ireland, travelling to Great Britain by sea from Dublin to Holyhead. Investigations are being led by Essex Police, and involve the national authorities of the UK, Belgium, and Ireland.

Incident

The lorry was found in Grays in south-west Essex.
The lorry was found in Grays in south-west Essex.
class=notpageimage|
Location of lorry discovery in Essex

On 23 October 2019, shortly after 01:40 BST, staff of the East of England Ambulance Service found 39 bodies in a refrigerated articulated lorry.[1] The lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex. The ambulance service informed the police, and they arrived shortly after. Who called the ambulance service has not been reported.[2]

Shortly after the police arrived, Eastern Avenue was closed and not fully re-opened until 25 October.[3][4] The lorry driver was a 25-year-old man from Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.[3][4]

The lorry

The lorry cab was registered in Bulgaria in 2017 in the name of a company owned by an Irish citizen, but had not returned there since, according to the Bulgarian authorities.[2][5] The refrigerated trailer was leased on 15 October from a rental company in County Monaghan.[6] Refrigerated trailers can be kept frozen to preserve perishables, and can be kept as cold as −25 °C (−13 °F).[3] Such trailers are normally airtight, which creates a suffocation risk for any occupants.[2]

The lorry cab and the refrigerated trailer arrived separately in Purfleet, Essex, from where they travelled together the short distance to Grays. Police believe that the cab was driven from Northern Ireland on 19 October. It then travelled through the Republic of Ireland to Dublin, and from there by sea to Holyhead in Wales, from where it was driven to Purfleet.[7][8][9][10] The trailer was loaded onto the freight ferry Clementine in Zeebrugge in Belgium. It arrived in Purfleet, a town with a port on the Thames, at around 00:30 on 23 October and was picked up with the cab there about half-an-hour later.[9][11][12]

Casualties

The ambulance service said that all 39 casualties were dead before they arrived, and attempts at resuscitation could not be made.[3] Essex police said that of the deceased, 31 were men and 8 women.[13][12] All were adults, except for one teenager.[8][9]

The deceased are believed to have been either victims of human trafficking, for example as forced labourers, or migrants who paid smugglers to move them to the United Kingdom, or both. People smugglers often force migrants to work off the cost of the trip in slave-like conditions.[14][15] There have been a number of incidents in which migrants to Europe died or were injured as a result of dangerous transportation methods. In an incident in Dover in June 2000, 58 Chinese nationals died in similar circumstances.

Initially, the police said that they believed the deceased to be Chinese nationals.[13][12] Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador, said that their nationality had not been confirmed.[16] Later media speculation suggested that at least six of the deceased may have been from Vietnam.[1] The family of a 26-year old Vietnamese woman made public her last text message to her parents which she sent as she was dying. According to maritime tables, she was at this point in transit to Purfleet.[17] Her family said they paid around £30,000 to smuggle their daughter from Vietnam to the UK.[18]

Investigation

A refrigerated articulated lorry, similar to the type involved in the incident

A murder investigation was launched just before 16:00 on the day of the discovery. Local media described it as "one of the biggest murder investigations the country has ever seen". The National Crime Agency suggested that organised crime may be involved.[3] The lorry and bodies were moved from the scene to a secure location in Tilbury Docks, another nearby port on the Thames, to continue the investigation. Police later moved the bodies to a mortuary at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortems to be carried out.[13][19]

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke in Dáil Éireann and said that Irish authorities would investigate any involvement regarding their country.[7] In the evening of 23 October, the Belgian prosecutor's office announced that they would also investigate the lorry's transit through their country.[12] The police suspect that a people-smuggling ring in Ireland may be involved.[20]

By the morning of 24 October, police had traced the trailer to the Netherlands before its departure from Belgium.[21] British police had also searched two properties in Northern Ireland.[10] Belgian officials said that the deceased were trapped in the trailer for at least 10 hours.[22]

On 25 October, police arrested a man and a woman from Warrington, Cheshire on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people,[23] and another man at Stansted Airport on the same charge.[24] On 26 October, Gardaí said they had detained a man in his 20s at Dublin Port who was of interest to Essex Police as part of its investigation into the lorry deaths. He was charged with unrelated offences.[25] Belgian authorities confirmed that this was the second lorry driver they had been searching for, that had been seen on CCTV ten times at Zeebrugge while dropping off the refrigerated trailer.[26]

After extended questioning, on 26 October Essex Police charged the driver with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on 28 October.[22][27] On 27 October it was announced that three of the people arrested at an earlier stage of the investigation had been released on bail.[28]

Reactions

Grays from the Thameside

Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, said in a tweet that he was "appalled" at the incident, giving his thoughts to the victims and their families, adding that the Home Office was working alongside the Essex Police on the case.[29][8] Priti Patel, the home secretary, released a press statement saying that she was "shocked and saddened by this utterly tragic incident". Patel also elaborated that Immigration Enforcement were working with the Essex Police. She asked for both organisations to be given space to complete the investigation;[8] the Essex Police and Crime Commissioner repeated this request.[3] António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, tweeted that those responsible "must be swiftly brought to justice".[30]

Campaigners against human trafficking organised a vigil to take place outside the Home Office on 24 October in solidarity with the victims.[3] Following the incident, the Chief Executive of the charity group Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said that the British government needs to open safe routes and make quick decisions regarding asylum seekers to prevent such attempts, sentiments echoed by the Refugee and Migrant Rights Director of Amnesty International UK.[3] Other refugee groups have expressed concern that the border confusion surrounding Brexit will give more opportunities for groups to commit similar crimes.[31] Channel 4 postponed a television series called Smuggled that was due to air on 28 October, in which British citizens try to smuggle themselves from mainland Europe to the UK.[32]

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming tweeted, "We are in close contact with the British police to seek clarification and confirmation of the relevant reports".[33][34] Following speculation that Vietnamese citizens may be amongst the deceased, Vietnamese prime minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered the country's Public Security Ministry and the authorities of its two central provinces of Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An, where the missing citizens come from, to launch a probe on the case.[35] The Prime Minister also urging its Foreign Ministry to direct the Vietnamese embassy in UK to closely monitor the situation, co-ordinate with the British authorities to verify the victims identities and taking protective measures in case it is confirmed Vietnamese are among the victims.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnamese families fear relatives among dead". BBC News. 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Peltier, Elian; Specia, Megan (23 October 2019). "39 Bodies Found in Truck in U.K.; Police Seek to Retrace Fatal Journey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Wathen, Tommy; Gregory, James; O'Neill, Lottie; Hooper, Alasdair; Gray, Brad (23 October 2019). "Live: Murder investigation after 39 people found dead in lorry container". EssexLive. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Update: Friday 25 October 18:07". Essex Police. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 26 October 2019 suggested (help)
  5. ^ "Truck found in UK with 39 bodies has Bulgarian registration". Reuters. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Irish company confirms it leased refrigerated trailer at centre of Essex tragedy". RTE News. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Essex lorry deaths: 39 bodies found in refrigerated trailer". BBC News. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d "Bodies of 39 people found in back of lorry on Essex industrial estate". Metro. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Grierson, Jamie; Gayle, Damien; Addley, Esther; Carroll, Rory (23 October 2019). "Driver arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  10. ^ a b MacMath, Jillian (24 October 2019). "Essex lorry deaths live updates as two houses raided". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  11. ^ Polglase, Katie; Gault, Tiff (25 October 2019). "Truck container crossed English Channel on the Clementine ferry, CNN ascertains". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d Rankin, Jennifer; Grierson, Jamie; Addley, Esther (24 October 2019). "Essex lorry deaths: all 39 victims were Chinese nationals". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "Essex lorry deaths: 39 found dead were Chinese nationals". BBC News. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  14. ^ Gentleman, Amelia (25 October 2019). "Trafficked Vietnamese and the lure of UK nail bars and cannabis farms". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  15. ^ Adam, Karla. "'I'm dying because I can't breathe': Vietnamese families fear relatives among 39 bodies in truck container in Essex, U.K." Washington Post. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Essex lorry deaths: Post-mortem examinations to start on 39 bodies". BBC News. 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019.
  17. ^ CNN, Nguyen The Phuong, Sandi Sidhu and James Griffiths. "Father of Vietnamese woman believed dead in Essex truck: Smugglers said this was a 'safe route'". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Southworth, Phoebe; Sawer, Patrick (26 October 2019). "Migrants buy 'VIP tickets' to Britain to work on cannabis farms and nail bars, human trafficking expert claims". The Daily Telegraph.
  19. ^ "Essex lorry deaths: Police escort ambulances to remove bodies for post-mortem". Sky News. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Police probe suspected Irish people-smuggling ring after 39 bodies found inside lorry container". The Telegraph. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Crime chiefs issued warnings over migrants in refrigerated HGVs". London Evening Standard. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  22. ^ a b Addley, Esther; Murphy, Simon; Carroll, Rory (24 October 2019). "Lorry victims were trapped before reaching Belgian coast, officials say". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 24 October 2019 suggested (help)
  23. ^ "Essex lorry deaths: Two held on suspicion of manslaughter". BBC News. 25 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Essex lorry deaths: Fourth person arrested after 39 bodies found in container". Sky News. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Police ask Vietnamese to help identify lorry dead". BBC. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Man arrested in Dublin 'delivered lorry deaths trailer to Zeebrugge'". The Guardian. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Essex lorry deaths: Driver charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people". The Telegraph. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Three bailed over Essex lorry deaths". BBC. 27 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson". Twitter. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  30. ^ "39 bodies found in truck container in Essex: Live updates". CNN. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  31. ^ "One man arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container – updates". London Evening Standard. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  32. ^ Quinn, Ben (23 October 2019). "Channel 4 postpones Smuggled broadcast after bodies found in lorry". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  33. ^ Liu Xiaoming [@AmbLiuXiaoMing] (24 October 2019). "Embassy Spokesperson Statement: We read with heavy heart the reports about the death of 39 people in Essex, England. We are in close contact with the British police to seek clarification and confirmation of the relevant reports" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 October 2019 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "英媒称集装箱内39具尸体"为中国公民"，我使馆声明：正与英警方联系，核实情况" [The British media said that 39 bodies in the container were "Chinese citizens". The Embassy stated that it is contacting the British police to verify the situation]. Global Times (in Chinese (China)). 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  35. ^ a b Thuy, Hoang (26 October 2019). "PM orders investigation into overseas trafficking of Vietnamese citizens". VnExpress. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Essex_lorry_deaths&oldid=923316123"