A man arrested in relation to the discovery of 39 bodies in the back of a lorry in Essex is from Co Armagh.
The 25-year-old was detained after the grim discovery was made at an industrial estate in Essex earlier this morning (Wednesday).
The former Portadown SRC student is currently being questioned by police over the deaths of the 38 adults and one teenager found in the refrigerated trailer of his lorry.
On Wednesday afternoon the Bulgarian ministry of foreign affairs said the truck was registered in the coastal town of Varna. It was registered under the name of a company owned by a female Irish citizen.
Ch Supt Andrew Mariner of Essex police said: “This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives. Our inquiries 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 inquiries continue. I appreciate this cordon is going to disrupt the activity of local businesses in the area and we will work to ensure that disruption is kept as short as possible.
“We are working with Thurrock council to mitigate against any impact our investigation scene will have locally.”
