The 39 migrants who died after being locked in a freezing cold container bound for the UK left “bloody handprints” on the walls and door, according to new revelations by the Mirror.
The newspaper also claims that sources revealed to it that the migrants trapped in the refrigerated container, which was described as a “freezing cold coffin,” were wearing “minimal clothing” or in some cases were entirely naked.
“When the door of the container was opened, first responders were shocked to see dozens of dead bodies piled on top of one another. The bodies closest to the doors had foam coming from their mouths and were in the early stages of rigour mortis,” a classified source allegedly said of the moment police first examined the scene in Essex.
“There were bloody handprints all along the inside of the lorry door where they must have been banging for help,” they added.
UK police initially thought that all of the migrants were Chinese, but it was later discovered that at least six of them hailed from Vietnam.
One woman, 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra, is said to have sent her mother an alarming text message from within the steel tomb on Tuesday, October 22, just three hours before the 39 bodies were discovered.
“I’m sorry Mum, my journey abroad hasn’t succeeded. Mum, I love you so much. I’m dying because I can’t breathe,” the text reportedly said.
Will this tragedy change anything....I hope so but sadly suspect not
— Didyouseethat (@solventsometime) 25 October 2019
The grim revelations were revealed as UK investigators continue to question four people about the migrant deaths. The incident is said to have created the biggest British murder investigation since the July 2005 Jihadist suicide bombings in London.
According to reports, British police officers detained a 48-year-old-man on the evening of Friday October 25 from Northern Ireland on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter.
Absolutely heartbreaking 💔 such a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her💞
— JennyBaldam (@JMBaldam) 25 October 2019
Seen a documentary few years ago they use illegal Chinese or Vietnamese nationals to run the cannabis farms.
— sean morgan (@Andromander) 24 October 2019
The police have arrested another man named Thomas Maher along with his wife, Joanna Maher, both 38 years old, from Warrington in England. The two were arrested on 39 counts of manslaughter and people trafficking.
Police also added that, “a 25-year-old man arrested on Wednesday [October 23] on suspicion of murder remains in custody.” That statement was referring to Mo Robinson, the lorry driver who picked up the box containing the 39 migrants from the Purfleet Docs on the River Thames in the early hours of Tuesday October 22 after it had travelled on a freight ship from Belgium. It is believed that most, if not all, of the migrants were already dead when the container was loaded onto Mr Robinson’s lorry.
• 39 dead in Lorry Horror Tomb
— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) 24 October 2019
• DUP attacks Boris Johnson disgraceful proposal as a betrayal
• PM branded a coward for refusing to face a parliamentary committee
• Media Militia licking it
• LibDem sellout NHS AGAIN!!! pic.twitter.com/qVOY1sw4EP
European police believe that the migrants entered the refrigerated container before they got to a port in Belgium in order to avoid detection from the authorities. Police in Belgium are now ramping up efforts to find the driver who delivered the container to Zebrugge port, from where it left for the UK.
A Belgian police officer was quoted as saying to Dutch newspaper Het Nieusblad that it would have been “virtually impossible” for the migrants to board the lorry at the Zebrugge port due to tight security. Yet, if they were put inside the lorry containers before approaching the port, and the refrigerating devices were switched on, then it would have allowed them to avoid heat-sensing cameras.
The first British postmortems of the 39 bodies began on Friday.