39人命喪貨櫃車,英警方正在覈實遇難者身份

British police said the death of 39 people, reportedly to be Chinese nationals, found in a truck in Essex, United Kingdom, has led to the largest murder investigation in the force's history.

英國警方表示，在英國埃塞克斯郡一輛卡車上發現39人死亡，這是英國警方有史以來調查的最大規模的謀殺案。有報道稱死者都是中國人。

The Chinese Embassy has sent a team led by the minister-counsellor in charge of consular affairs to Essex, England. They have met with the local police. The police said that they are verifying the identity of the deceased, whose nationality still cannot be confirmed.

中國駐英國使館已派負責領事事務的公參率領團隊抵達埃塞克斯郡，並與英國當地警方取得了聯繫。英國警方表示正在覈實遇難者身份，尚無法確定遇難者是中國國籍。

A magistrate has granted Essex Police more time to question the truck's driver, a 25-year-old from Northern Ireland, who was arrested on susPicion of murder.

地方法官允許埃塞克斯郡警方繼續審問卡車司機，這名25歲的司機來自北愛爾蘭，因涉嫌謀殺而被捕。

The bodies were discovered by ambulance staff at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, a town 40 kilometers east of London, and authorities were alerted before 1:40 am.

救護車工作人員在倫敦以東40公里的格雷士華特格雷德工業園區發現了這些屍體，有關部門在凌晨1點40分之前接到了警報。

Essex Police believe the truck's cab entered the UK via Holyhead, Wales on Sunday. The cab and trailer containing the victims apparently took separate journeys before arriving at the industrial park. British authorities said they believe the container came from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Purfleet, England, where it arrived early on Wednesday.

埃塞克斯警方認爲，這輛卡車的車頭於週日（10月20日）通過威爾士的霍利海德進入英國。在到達工業園之前，卡車車頭和載着受害者的貨櫃顯然是分開入境的。英國當局說，他們認爲集裝箱來自比利時的澤布呂赫港，週三早上抵達英格蘭的普爾弗利特。

In a statement early on Thursday, Essex Police said, "We have since confirmed that eight of the deceased are women and 31 are men and all are believed to be Chinese nationals." The incident, the statement went on to say, has"led to the largest murder investigation in our force's history".

埃塞克斯警方在週四上午的一份聲明中表示，“我們已經確認死者中有8名女性，31名男性，據信都是中國公民。”聲明還說，這一事件“將成爲英國警方歷史上最大規模的謀殺調查”。

The police said one victim previously thought to be a teenager was a young adult woman.

警方表示，之前認定的一位青少年遇難者實際上是一名年輕的成年女性。

Officers have searched three addresses in County Armagh, Northern Ireland in connection with the investigation.

警方在北愛爾蘭阿爾馬郡搜查了三個與案件調查有關的地址。

Media reports suggested that if the refrigeration unit were on, the migrants could have frozen to death in temperatures as low as -25°C.

媒體報道稱，如果製冷設備處於打開狀態，這些人可能是在零下25攝氏度的低溫中凍死的。

The truck has since been moved from the industrial park.

卡車已被從工業園移走。

"Our recovery of the bodies is ongoing and the post-mortem and identification processes, which will be lengthy and complex, can then begin," said Essex Police's deputy chief constable, Pippa Mills.

埃塞克斯郡警察局副局長皮帕·米爾斯說：“我們正在修復遇難者遺體，之後將開始漫長而複雜的屍檢和身份鑑定過程。”

"Our number one priority is preserving the dignity of the 39 people who have died and ensuring that we get answers for their loved ones."

“我們的首要任務是保護39名遇難者的尊嚴，並確保我們爲他們的親友找到遇難原因。

The National Crime Agency said it was assisting in the investigation and working to "urgently identify and take action against any organized crime groups who have played a role in causing these deaths".

英國國家犯罪局表示，正在協助調查，並努力“緊急查明並對造成遇難者死亡的任何有組織犯罪集團採取行動”。

The Belgian federal prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday that it had opened an inquiry into the deaths of the 39 people.

比利時聯邦檢察官週四在一份聲明中表示，已對導致39人死亡的案件展開調查。

"The investigation will focus on the organizers of and all other parties involved in this transport," the prosecutor said.

檢察官說：“調查將集中在這次運輸的組織者和所有參與方。”

James Halden, acting leader for Thurrock Council, said the deaths of the 39 people were "devastating".

瑟羅克議會代理領導人詹姆斯·哈爾登表示，39人遇難是“毀滅性的”。

"Let us be clear, this is a terrible crime,"he said in a statement. "Thurrock Council will remain in constant contact with the police to support their investigation and keep the vital services in the area functioning. This will be a lengthy investigation and I can assure you that the council will work with all services to understand what can be done, if anything, to better work holistically in the future to prevent such events."

他在一份聲明中說：“我們必須明確，這是一起可怕的罪行。瑟羅克議會將繼續與警方保持緊密聯繫，支持調查，並保持該地區重要服務的正常運行。這將是一次漫長的調查，我可以肯定的是，議會將與所有部門合作，以瞭解可以做些什麼，以便今後更好地全面開展工作，防止類似事件發生。

Maurice Wren, chief executive of the Refugee Council in London, said: "This is truly tragic news, but depressingly predictable and avoidable news. If you deny people safe and regular travel routes to find safety, you are leaving them with no choice but to risk their lives on utterly perilous journeys and in the hands of criminal gangs. These gangs are a symptom of a much deeper problem, namely governments' failure to provide safety to those who desperately need it."

倫敦難民理事會首席執行官莫里斯·雷恩說：“這確實是悲劇，但令人沮喪的是，這原本是可以預見和避免的。如果你不讓人們通過安全常規的旅行路線來安全抵達，他們就別無選擇，只能冒着生命危險踏上極端危險的旅程，落入犯罪團伙之手。這些團伙預示着一個更深層的問題，即政府未能爲那些迫切需要安全的人提供安全保障。”