The driver of the truck — a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland — has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
ADVERTISEMENTLONDON — Police investigating the deaths of 39 people inside a truckat an industrial estate near London have raided at least one address in Northern Ireland.British police found the bodies of 38 adults and one teenager in a container on an industrial site in Grays, about 20 miles east of central London in the early hours of Wednesday morning.Police arrested the driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, on suspicion of murder, and he was held in custody.Video shot by NBC News British partner showed police raiding one property in the town of Portadown in Northern Ireland. The Associated Press and the BBC reported that two houses in Northern Ireland were searched.
Police said the trailer had arrived at docks in Essex, southern England, having traveled from Zeebrugge in Belgium and the bodies were found just over an hour later at 1:40 a.m.The red cab unit of the truck was believed to have originated in Ireland. It had "Ireland" emblazoned on the windscreen along with the message "The Ultimate Dream."Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled by the news and was receiving regular updates about the investigation which was focused on human trafficking.The National Crime Agency — which leads probes into organized crime and human trafficking — said it was assisting the investigation and working to "urgently identify and take action against any organized crime groups who have played a role in causing these deaths."