Here's What We Know So Far About The Investigation Into The Deaths Of 39 People Found In The Back Of A Truck

Lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 25, was charged with manslaughter on Saturday.

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It's the tragic discovery that has launched the largest murder investigation in Essex police's history.

On Wednesday, 39 people were found dead inside a refrigerated truck in Grays. It has raised questions about who the victims are, and what circumstances led them to the lorry where they would die.

The story has turned global attention to a town 23 miles east of London, and as police uncover new details, here's what we have learned over the past four days.

Police were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, just before 1:40am on Oct. 23 where they discovered 39 bodies in the back of a refrigerated vehicle.

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The victims could be a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals.

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The victims have been identified as 31 men and 8 women. Police initially believed that all 39 were Chinese nationals. However, new developments suggest that at least six of the them could be from Vietnam.

The BBC reported it has been in contact with six Vietnamese families who fear their relatives are among the victims, with some claiming to have had fees paid to smugglers returned shortly after the news of the discovery broke.

A missing Vietnamese woman who texted her mother to say “I can’t breathe” is believed to be one of these victims.

According to numerous reports, a woman called Pham Thi Tra My, 26, sent a message saying “I’m dying” at the time the lorry was being shipped from Belgium to the UK on Tuesday night. She has not been heard from since.

Both Chinese and Vietnamese officials are now working closely with British police to help identify the victims, their respective embassies have said.

An online forum representing the Vietnamese community in the UK is reported to have supplied the police with photos of approximately 20 Vietnamese nationals who have been flagged as missing by family members.

Essex Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills has warned the press and public against speculating further about the identities, describing the effort to name all 39 victims as a "developing picture".

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She said: “We owe it to those who have died to get this investigation right and speculation is not helpful. It may in fact hinder our investigation and its progress. The force 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. We gave an initial steer on Thursday on nationality. However, this is now a developing picture. As such, I will not be drawn on any further detail until formal identification processes approved by Her Majesty’s Coroner have taken place."

The vehicle was registered to a company owned by an Irish citizen.

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The refrigerated trailer compartment the bodies were discovered in had travelled back and forth between the UK and Europe days before the discovery. It entered the UK at the Purfleet docks, in Essex, from Zeebrugge, in Belgium, on Oct, 22. at around 12:30am.

The front section of the vehicle, driven by a 25-year-old man was registered in the Bulgarian coastal town of Varna under the name of a company owned by a female Irish citizen. This part arrived from Northern Ireland via Holyhead in North Wales on Sunday.

The Belgian government has since clarified that while the unit was registered there in 2017 it had not entered the country since. Zeebrugge's mayor, Dirk De fauw, also insisted that it was "virtually impossible" the victims went into the trailer at the Belgian border.

He told Belgian media that all trailers that go through the port are "systematically checked".

He added: "Trailers are filmed until they are on the ferry. In the terminals, too, there are cameras. Breaking the seal, putting 39 people in a trailer and resealing the trailer without anybody noticing is virtually impossible."

One person has been charged with manslaughter, and three others have been arrested.

Sky News @SkyNews

Police investigating the deaths of 39 people found in a lorry have arrested a fourth person at Stansted Airport. Read more: https://t.co/lmNBWu6XX3

05:11 PM - 25 Oct 2019

Four arrests have been made, including the 25-year-old driver Maurice Robinson, from Northern Ireland, who was charged on Saturday with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, and money laundering. He will appear at Chelmsford magistrates court on Monday.

Essex police announced on Friday that they had arrested a man and a woman, both aged 38. The couple, from Warrington, was held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and 39 counts of manslaughter. The vehicle driven by the 25-year-old is registered to the woman arrested.

A fourth person, a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland, was arrested at Stansted Airport on Friday, on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people.

A cause of death is yet to be established.

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No cause of death has been established. The bodies have been moved to the mortuary at Broomfield Hospital where formal identification processes will take place as well as the examinations to establish the causes of their deaths.

Nineteen years ago, the bodies of 58 Chinese nationals were found in the back of a tomato truck in Dover. That vehicle had started its journey from Zeebrugge, and an inquest revealed the victims died from a lack of oxygen and a build-up of carbon dioxide in the airtight container.

Vehicles such as the one in this case can reach temperatures as low as -25°C if the fridge is activated. It is not yet clear if these were the conditions that the 39 victims were subjected to.

This investigation is the largest one in Essex police force's history.

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Several agencies are working in collaboration to establish the circumstances that led to the deaths, said Mills, who also appealed to any undocumented migrants living in the country to come forward.

“We are working closely with the National Crime Agency, the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement.

“I would also like to make an appeal to anyone living illegally in this country, who could help our investigation. Please come forward and speak to us without fear. I can assure you that your information will be received in strictest confidence and no criminal action will be taken against you.

“If you do not feel able to speak to police directly, please contact Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111.“

The political response to the investigation has been a united call for justice.

Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson

I’m appalled by this tragic incident in Essex. I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened. My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives & their loved ones.

09:25 AM - 23 Oct 2019

Speaking in the House of Commons, prime minister Boris Johnson described it as an “unimaginable tragedy and truly heartbreaking”.

He said: “It is hard to put ourselves in the shoes of those emergency services, as the right honourable gentleman opposite [Jeremy Corbyn] said, as they were asked to open that container and to expose the appalling crime that had taken place.

“I share his strong desire now for the perpetrators of that crime, and indeed all those who engage in similar activity — because we know that this trade is going on — all such traders in human beings should be hunted down and brought to justice.”

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Speaking in the House of Commons, home secretary Priti Patel said: "The whole house will agree that this is...a truly shocking incident.

"My thoughts, and all thoughts and condolences, are with the victims and their loved ones at this utterly terrible time. I am sure the whole house will convey their condolences at this sad time."

Patel met with Essex police to be briefed on the details of the investigation and its progress.

Essex Police @EssexPoliceUK

Essex Police is leading the murder investigation in to the deaths of 39 people found yesterday in #Grays, supported by @NCA, @ThurrockCouncil @ukhomeoffice. Today we welcomed a visit from the Home Secretary to brief her on our progress.

12:57 PM - 24 Oct 2019

Vietnam’s prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered government officials to help establish the identities of the victims and look into cases of Vietnamese citizens sent abroad illegally, according to Reuters.

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The Shiva Foundation, which works to tackle and prevent human trafficking and modern slavery in the UK, sent a message of condolence on social media.

Shiva Foundation @shiva_fdn

03:54 PM - 24 Oct 2019

Amnesty criticised immigration policies for forcing people into dangerous situations.

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Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: “This is a heartbreaking and horrifying incident. People who are forced to take dangerous and sometimes fatal passages to reach the UK often do so because current immigration policies and practices deny them safe and legal options.

“As the police investigation continues our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those affected by this awful tragedy.”