39 people found dead inside lorry in Essex

A man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police have confirmed that 39 people have been found dead inside a lorry in Essex, England. Police and ambulance crews were called following the discovery at 1.40am on Wednesday morning. All of the 39 people, one of which was believed to be a teenager, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the lorry, who is a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has since been arrested on suspicion of murder. Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner spoke about the incident, saying: "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."