More arrests: Two men and a woman were arrested Friday in connection with the deaths of 39 people, according to Essex Police. The 25-year-old Northern Irish truck driver, identified as Mo Robinson, remains in custody.
Post-mortems begin: Autopsies have started on some of the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated truck trailer in Essex. Police are also working to identify the victims.
Chinese nationals: Police have said the eight women and 31 men inside the truck were Chinese. However, China contests the claims, saying it is “not yet possible” to confirm the victims’ nationalities.
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What we know about the Essex truck deaths
Four people have been arrested this week in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in a container at the back of the truck, at an industrial park in Grays, Essex.
Here’s what we know about the investigation:
The suspects: Mo Robinson, a 25-year-old Northern Irish truck driver, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder. On Friday, police arrested three more suspects — a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland, and a man and a woman, both 38. They were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and trafficking-related offenses.
Identification process starts: Autopsies have started on some of the victims as police work to identify them. Police have said the eight women and 31 men inside the truck were Chinese. However, China contests the claims, saying it is “not yet possible” to confirm the victims’ nationalities.
The container’s origins: The truck container was transported from Belgium to the UK on a ferry called the Clementine, CNN has ascertained. The owner of the trailer also shared GPS tracking information with British Police. A lawyer representing GTR, the company that owns the trailer, said the trailer allowed for real-time monitoring of the temperature, information that is shared with the truck tractor and the driver.
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Vietnamese families fear loved ones were on Essex truck
From CNN's Sandi Sidhu, Nguyen The Phuong and Vasco Cotovio
A Vietnamese government source tells CNN that they have been contacted by a father who fears his daughter is among the dead in the Essex truck incident.
Separately, a Vietnamese government-run newspaper reports that another father has also come forward asking for help in finding his son who went to the UK in the last few days.
The government source told CNN that that a man named Pham Van Thin sent an emergency letter to local authorities in Ha Tinh province, reporting that his daughter Pham Thi Tra My was missing in the UK. The father suspects, the source said, she may be one of 39 victims in the tragedy.
His daughter departed for China on Oct. 3, before heading on to France and the UK, according to the source. Relatives also reported that Tra My sent text messages pleading for help. The government source tells CNN that local authorities in Vietnam have been asked to check into the man’s claims.
Earlier on Friday, Deputy Chief Constable from Essex Police Pippa Mills said the police “will not be commenting on any speculation about the nationalities of those who have tragically lost their lives.”
“I strongly urge journalists and people on social media not to speculate about the identities of those involved or the circumstances surrounding this investigation,” Mills added.
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Details on victims won't be released until formal identification is done
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio
Police on Friday addressed the issue of the nationalities of the 39 people discovered inside a truck in Essex.
Police had said it believed the victims were Chinese nationals on Thursday, but Vietnamese authorities in London and Hanoi have since then been alerted by family members to the possibility that Vietnamese nationals were also inside the truck.
“This is now a developing picture,” said Pippa Mills, deputy chief constable from Essex Police, when addressing the issue in a televised statement on Friday.
Police refused to comment further.
Mills added police would give no more information on the nationalities of the victims until formal identification had been completed.
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Fourth person arrested in Essex truck case
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio
A 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and of conspiracy to traffic people in connection to the investigation into the 39 bodies discovered inside a truck in Essex on Wednesday.
The suspect was arrested at Stansted Airport, the Deputy Chief Constable from Essex Police, Pippa Mills, said in a televised statement on Friday.
Mills also said the three suspects who had been arrested previously remained in custody.
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Trailer company shared GPS information with police
From CNN’s Brent Swails
The owner of the trailer inside which 39 people were found dead on Wednesday has shared the GPS tracking information with British Police.
The bodies were discovered when police was called by emergency services to an industrial park in Essex, in the United Kingdom
GPS tracking was activated throughout the entire lease, Danny McNamee, the lawyer representing GTR, the company that owns the trailer, told CNN on Friday.
McNamee also said the trailer allowed for real-time monitoring of the temperature, information which is shared with the truck tractor and the driver. McNamee was unaware if that information would had been sent out remotely.
Asked if the company conducted background checks on haulers it leased its trailers too, McNamee said this type of rental, to a local hauler, was their “bread and butter.”
“GTR would have no problem with that rental,” he said, adding that, “The company is completely shocked by this incident.”
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Vietnamese embassy working with Essex police
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
The Vietnamese Embassy in London has been in contact with Essex Police with the view of establishing if there were any Vietnamese nationals on board the truck where 39 people were found dead on Wednesday.
According to the embassy, Vietnamese officials heard rumors that there could have been Vietnamese victims inside the truck on Thursday and sent a consular official to Essex on Friday to coordinate with British authorities.
The embassy was unable to specify how many Vietnamese nationals are suspected to be among the 39 victims.
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Truck container crossed English Channel on the Clementine ferry, CNN ascertains
Fron CNN's Katie Polglase and Tiff Gault in London
The Clementine ferry belongs to Cobelfret Ferries and regularly shuttles between Zeebrugge, Belgium, and Purfleet, UK.
CNN
The truck container found carrying 39 bodies in Essex was transported from Belgium to the UK on a ferry called the Clementine, CNN has ascertained.
The Clementine belongs to Cobelfret Ferries and regularly shuttles between Zeebrugge, Belgium, and Purfleet, UK, according to maritime timetables seen by CNN.
The Clementine’s timetable matches the timetable provided by UK Police which states that it arrived at Purfleet shortly after midnight on October 23, 2019. No other ship traveled this route for several hours either side of this timeframe.
Cobelfret Ferries confirmed to CNN that one of their ferries transported the container but refused to detail which one. They separately confirmed that the Clementine was one of their ferries. They refused to comment on whether the Clementine carried the container from Zeebrugge to Purfleet.
At this stage the ferry company is not under investigation by authorities but questions have been raised as to how the container could travel through Zeebrugge Port and board a ferry, if it was potentially carrying 39 bodies.
Cobelfret Ferries parent company, C.RO Ports, released a statement on Thursday saying they were assisting “UK, Belgium and other law enforcement authorities with their ongoing investigation.”
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More victims' bodies transported for post-mortem examinations
Police officers drive away a lorry from Waterglade Industrial Park on October 23.
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images.
Private ambulances have transported more victims’ bodies on Friday afternoon to Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford, according to Britain’s PA news agency.
PA reported that three ambulances left the Port of Tilbury – where the truck was being held in a secure location – at about 1:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET).
Eleven bodies were transported on Thursday night so that post-mortem examinations could be carried out.
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"The picture may change regarding identification," police say
Essex Police said in a statement that the first post-mortem examinations will begin Friday, after the bodies of the victims inside the truck were transported from the Port of Tilbury to a mortuary.
Police added that as their investigation continues, “the picture may change regarding identification, and we will continue to provide updates when appropriate under the direction of HM Coroner.”
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BREAKING: Two people arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and manslaughter
A man and a woman, both 38 years old, have been arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 people, according to Essex Police.
They were arrested in Warrington in northern England on suspicion of human trafficking and manslaughter, officers said.
The 25-year-old Northern Irish truck driver remains in custody on suspicion of murder, police added.
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Here's what we know about the timeline
From CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse
Sunday, October 20:
The truck is thought to have entered Great Britain through the Welsh port of Holyhead after traveling over from Ireland, according to Essex Police.
Investigators believe the truck – which was registered in Bulgaria in 2017 – originated in Northern Ireland.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said on local television channel bTV that the truck has not returned to the country since its registration
Tuesday, October 22:
The container arrived at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge at 2:49 p.m. local time (1:49 p.m. UK time), before leaving for the UK that same afternoon, according to the preliminary findings of Belgian prosecutors.
Wednesday, October 23:
The container entered the English port of Purfleet shortly after 12:30 a.m., Essex Police says. Belgian officials said the container arrived from Zeebrugge at midnight.
The truck then left the port shortly after 1:05 a.m. and at around 1:40 a.m. ambulance workers called police to the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays following the discovery of the 39 people. All were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities arrested the driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, on suspicion of murder. He was later identified by a local councilor as Mo Robinson.
The truck and trailer was then moved to a “secure location” in Tilbury Docks, about a 20-minute drive from where the bodies were discovered.
Police in Northern Ireland raided multiple properties, one of which has been identified by local residents as the home of Robinson’s parents. CNN was present at the parents’ home in County Armagh, southwest of Belfast, and witnessed officers going in and out of the house.
Thursday, October 24:
Essex Police say the dead – 31 men and eight women – were all believed to be Chinese nationals. They also said that the truck driver would remain in custody for another 24 hours.
China’s embassy in the UK says it’s sending personnel to the scene of the investigation “to verify relevant information” and its embassy in Belgium demands Belgian police to “conduct a comprehensive investigation.”
The first 11 victims from the truck were transported Thursday night to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortem examinations.
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UK Home Office was warned two years ago that border force had staffing issues, Chancellor says
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid.
TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
The UK Home Office was warned two years ago that there were staffing problems at east coast ports, Chancellor Sajid Javid told the BBC according to Britain’s PA news agency.
“I couldn’t tell you about staffing particularly at Purfleet, I don’t have that detail,” Javid said.
“But I can tell you that, during the last year, certainly the year that I was at the Home Office, there was a significant increase in the number of Border Force officers.”
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Candlelight vigil for truck victims held
From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London
Mourners gather at the vigil outside the UK Home Office.
Sharon Braithwaite/CNN
A candlelight vigil was held Thursday outside the UK Home Office for 39 people found dead in a truck in Grays, Essex.
CNN spoke to mourners gathered at the vigil. Here’s what they said:
Amos Kyahurwa, 40, is from Uganda. He fled his country because he was being persecuted and came to the UK to seek asylum.
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of “Stand Up to Racism” and joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism.
Juliet Kipling, a volunteer at “Safe passage,” a charity for unaccompanied child refugees.
Ulrika Schmidt, a teacher and Amnesty International activist.
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Why would people from China, the world's second-biggest economy, risk their lives to enter the UK?
From CNN's Aimee Lewis
British Police forensics officers work on ther lorry found to be containing 39 dead bodies, at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays.
Getty Images
Little has been publicly revealed about who the victims were, and how and why they came to be transported across the world in what is believed to be a refrigerated truck.
But one question has perplexed many: why would citizens from the world’s second-biggest economy travel – either voluntarily or under duress – to the UK in such a way?
The numbers:
Nearly 10 million of the international migrant population of 258 million are Chinese citizens, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) – making China the fourth-largest country of origin for international migrants.
Who is migrating?
There is an assumption that migrants are often the poorest in society, seeking low-skilled employment or fleeing from terror. But this is not always true, especially for Chinese migrants.
Typically, migrants traveling to Europe or the US are not the “poorest of the poor” because they require significant resources to move – whether they are migrating legally or illegally, Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, an associate director of MPI’s International program, told CNN.
Fourth-most common origin for victims of modern slavery in the UK
According to the UK government’s 2018 annual report on modern slavery, China is the fourth-most common country of origin for victims of modern slavery in the UK, behind the UK itself, Albania and Vietnam. In 2017, 293 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK were reported to originate from China, the government said.
Trafficking and smuggling
According to the Migration Policy Institute, Chinese citizens have migrated for many reasons over the years, including political repression, the one-child policy and a desire to study abroad.
But the methods to leave can vary significantly. “The opportunities that are available are not available equally for all citizens and this is also where smuggling and trafficking comes in, particularly with human trafficking,” Banulescu-Bogdan said.
Read more about why Chinese nationals are risking their lives, here:
China says identity of victims still being confirmed
From CNN's Lily Lee and Isaac Yee in Hong Kong
Police officers drive away a lorry, with black plastic visible at the rear, in which 39 bodies were discovered in Essex.
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said the 39 bodies that were discovered in a refrigerated lorry in Essex have yet to be identified as Chinese at this time.
“The British police expressed that the identity of the victims is still being verified. It is not yet possible to confirm whether they were Chinese nationals,” spokesperson Hua Chunying 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.”
The spokesperson added that consular officials from the Embassy in China are working closely with UK authorities and that British police are “still in the process of verification.”
When asked by CNN about the possibility of Chinese citizens being illegally trafficked, the question was rebuffed by the spokesperson.
“Chinese people have gained an unprecedented level of gratefulness, safeness, fulfillment and happiness over the past, over the past seven decades,” Hua replied.
“If you look around the globe you will find more and more foreign friends wishing to work, study and holiday in China even more they hope live in China for a long time, so I think this is not an appropriate question for you to raise here.”
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First victims transported to hospital for identification
From CNN’s Katie Polglase in London
The first 11 victims who were found in a container truck on Wednesday were transported to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford – about a 45-minute drive from where the truck was being held in a secure location – where they are undergoing post-mortem examinations and identification, Essex Police said in a statement on Thursday.
They added, “the process of victim recovery under the DVI (disaster victim identification) process is likely to take some time.”
Police said it was “being done in liaison with HM Coroner and we continue to ensure the dignity of the victims is our primary consideration.”
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What we know about the Essex truck deaths
Getty Images
A murder investigation has been launched after 39 bodies were found in a container at the back of the truck, at an industrial park in Grays, Essex, on Wednesday.
Here’s what we know about the investigation:
The suspect: On Wednesday, 25-year-old Northern Irish truck driver, Mo Robinson, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said Thursday that the suspect remained in custody and confirmed that three properties were searched in County Armagh.
Victims identified: All 39 people found dead inside the container are believed to be Chinese nationals, UK police said Thursday. The cause of death of the eight women and 31 men has yet to be established, Essex police said in a statement.
Chinese officials are en route: In a statement, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Chinese embassy staff had traveled to the scene “to verify relevant information.” The Chinese embassy in Belgium has also “demanded” a “comprehensive investigation” by Belgian police, according to a statement. The embassy “attaches high importance to the report that bodies of 39 Chinese nationals were found in a truck in the UK,” it wrote.
The container’s origins: Police believe the container came from Belgium into England early Wednesday morning, while the truck that transported it is believed to have originated in Northern Ireland.
