London: A truck driver has been arrested on suspicion of murder after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry container believed to have recently arrived in the UK from Bulgaria, a notorious centre for people smuggling gangs.

Police and emergency services rushed to an industrial park in Essex, east of London, early on Wednesday morning but pronounced the victims dead at the scene, police said. The victims included 38 adults and one teenager.

Police stand guard at the site where 39 bodies were discovered in a lorry. Credit:Getty Images

The driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Essex Police deputy chief constable Pippa Mills said identifying victims was a "number one priority" but so far they did not know who they were or where they came from.