Essex tragedy: Identification number one priority, says senior police official

Essex Police's Deputy Chief has said that they haven't been able to identify the victims and it remains the "number one" priority after 39 dead bodies were found in a lorry container on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Police said the driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The truck is believed to have entered Britain at Holyhead, a North Wales port that is a major entry point for traffic from Ireland, on Saturday and to has originally started its journey in Bulgaria. The victims, 38 adults, and one teenager were all pronounced dead at the scene after they were found at the Waterglade Industrial Park, not far from docks on the River Thames.

Bulgaria's foreign ministry said it could not confirm at this stage whether the truck had started its journey from the country. "We are still checking the information, published in the British media and we're contacting the authorities," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tsvetana Krasteva said.