'Most of 39 found dead in lorry from Vietnam', claims community leader

A Vietnamese community leader claimed that most of the people found dead in the lorry container in Essex were from Vietnam. The foreign ministry of Vietnam, in a statement, announced that it has instructed its embassy in London to collaborate with UK police to help identify the victims.

Meanwhile, the Essex police said the speculation in the media and on social media surrounding their investigation may hinder its progress. Police said they will not be commenting on any speculation about the nationalities of those died in the incident.

“I strongly urge journalists and people on social media not to speculate about the identities of those involved or the circumstances surrounding this investigation,” said Deputy chief constable Pippa Mills.

Read: 2 More Arrested After 39 Dead Body Found In Essex Truck Container

Fourth person arrested

The Deputy chief constable, in a statement, said that they gave an "initial steer" on the nationalities of the people involved in the incident but won’t divulge any further details until the formal identification process takes place. Mills confirmed that the police have arrested a fourth person in the case. “A 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested at Stansted Airport earlier today on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and on suspicion of manslaughter,” said Mills.

Earlier, the police had arrested a 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people of manslaughter. The 25-year-old driver from Northern Ireland arrested on suspicion of murder is still in custody.

Read: Chinese Media: 'Britain Must Accept Responsibility For Essex Incident'

Organised Immigration Crime

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

The National Crime Agency (NCA), in its May report, said there has been an increase in the use of higher-risk methods of clandestine entry. “These include the movement of migrants (including children) into the UK in containers, refrigerated HGVs and small boats, at a high risk to life of those migrants smuggled”, said the NCA.

Read: China Embassy Staff Visit Essex To Identify Bodies Found In The Truck

Read: Essex Lorry Deaths: All 39 Victims Were Chinese Nationals, Say Police

(With Inputs from Agencies)