The tractor and the container left Purfleet shortly after 1:05 a.m., and the police were called to an industrial park about 30 minutes later by the local ambulance service. The police have not said who called for an ambulance.

It is not known how the container reached Belgium. Nor is it clear whether the 39 victims were inside before it made its way to England, whether they had all traveled together, how they reached the port in Europe or where the truck was headed.

How long until the victims are identified?

The police have said that each of the 39 victims will be subjected to a “full coroner’s process” to establish a cause of death, and only then will investigators try to identify them.

The process is likely to be further complicated because the victims were probably not carrying identification.