Two held on suspicion of manslaughter in Essex container tragedy

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people over 39 bodies found in a lorry in Essex.

A 38-year-old man and 38-year-old woman from Warrington, Cheshire, were arrested after warrants were carried out, Essex Police said.

Officers, who are still questioning the lorry driver on suspicion of murder, believe the victims were Chinese.

China called Friday for joint efforts to counter human smuggling after the discovery in Britain of 39 dead people believed to be Chinese migrants who stowed away in a shipping container.

Chinese Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing that China could not yet confirm the victims’ nationalities or identities but was working in cooperation with local authorities.

“The British police are still in the intensive process of verification and are still unable to confirm at the moment,” Hua said.

Hua said Chinese authorities were also seeking information from police in Belgium, from where the shipping container in which the bodies were found was transported to England.

Via AP/BBC