Fourth suspect arrested in British truck deaths case
- Man from Northern Ireland arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people after 39 people found dead in trailer in Essex
- Two other suspects detained in England on same charges, while truck driver remains in custody on suspicion of murder
The 48-year-old man was picked up at England’s Stansted Airport on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. A man and a woman, both 38 and from northwestern England, were arrested earlier on Friday on the same charges, while the 25-year-old truck driver, earlier identified as Mo Robinson, remains in custody on suspicion of murder.
The new arrests came as police began the grim process on Friday of conducting postmortem examinations of the dead. The remains of 11 people from the truck were transported by ambulance on Thursday from the Port of Tilbury to a mortuary under police escort.
Although British police said they believed all the victims – 38 adults and one teenager – were Chinese citizens, Chinese officials told reporters in Beijing the nationalities and identities of the deceased had not yet been confirmed.
The Vietnamese embassy in London confirmed on Friday that it had contacted police about a missing woman feared to be among the victims. An embassy spokesman said it was contacted by a family in Vietnam who says their daughter had been missing since the truck was found.