2019 Grays incident

discovery of, and investigation into, 39 dead bodies found in the container of a chiller lorry in Grays, Essex, England

In the early hours of 23 October 2019, 39 dead bodies were found in a freight container in Grays, Essex, England.[1] The lorry cab is owned by an Irish company. It had been registered Bulgaria, but had not been there since 2017. It travelled from the Netherlands through Belgium before arriving in the United Kingdom at Purfleet, Essex, from Zeebrugge.

2019 Grays incident
Industrial park in Grays
Date23 October 2019
LocationGrays, Essex, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°28′44″N 0°16′24″E / 51.478903°N 0.273256°E / 51.478903; 0.273256
Deaths39
Arrests1

Investigations are ongoing in regard to how the lorry passed through security at the border.[2]

Investigations were led by the Essex Police, but made international by the end of the day.

The lorry driver is a 25-year-old man from Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.[2] The Guardian reported that there are several photographs of him with the lorry cab involved in the incident on his Facebook page. He was arrested at the scene, on suspicion of murder.[2] He drove it from Purfleet to Grays.

References

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  1. "Bodies of 39 people found in back of lorry on Essex industrial estate". Metro. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Grierson, Jamie; Gayle, Damien; Addley, Esther; Carroll, Rory (23 October 2019). "Driver arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2019.