39人命丧货柜车 英警方正在核实遇难者身份

英国警方23日说，在英格兰东南部埃塞克斯郡一个工业园区内的一辆集装箱货车里发现39具尸体。25日凌晨，中国驻英国大使馆发布的最新消息显示，英国警方表示尚无法确定日前在埃塞克斯郡货车内发现的39位遇难者是中国国籍。

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.

英国警方表示，在英国埃塞克斯郡一辆卡车上发现39人死亡，这是英国警方有史以来调查的最大规模的谋杀案。有报道称死者都是中国人。

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.

中国驻英国使馆已派负责领事事务的公参率领团队抵达埃塞克斯郡，并与英国当地警方取得了联系。英国警方表示正在核实遇难者身份，尚无法确定遇难者是中国国籍。

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.

地方法官允许埃塞克斯郡警方继续审问卡车司机，这名25岁的司机来自北爱尔兰，因涉嫌谋杀而被捕。

magistrate [ˈmædʒɪstreɪt]：n.地方法官

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.

救护车工作人员在伦敦以东40公里的格雷士华特格雷德工业园区发现了这些尸体，有关部门在凌晨1点40分之前接到了警报。

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.

埃塞克斯警方认为，这辆卡车的车头于周日（10月20日）通过威尔士的霍利海德进入英国。在到达工业园之前，卡车车头和载着受害者的货柜显然是分开入境的。英国当局说，他们认为集装箱来自比利时的泽布吕赫港，周三早上抵达英格兰的普尔弗利特。

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".

埃塞克斯警方在周四上午的一份声明中表示，“我们已经确认死者中有8名女性，31名男性，据信都是中国公民。”声明还说，这一事件“将成为英国警方历史上最大规模的谋杀调查”。

英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊也对这一事件表示震惊。

我对埃塞克斯发生的悲惨事件感到震惊。我正在密切关注事件进展，内政部将与埃塞克斯警方密切合作，以便确认究竟发生了什么。向所有遇难者及他们的亲友表示慰问。

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

警方表示，之前认定的一位青少年遇难者实际上是一名年轻的成年女性。

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

警方在北爱尔兰阿尔马郡搜查了三个与案件调查有关的地址。

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

媒体报道称，如果制冷设备处于打开状态，这些人可能是在零下25摄氏度的低温中冻死的。

The truck has since been moved from the industrial park.

卡车已被从工业园移走。

"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长皮帕·米尔斯说：“我们正在修复遇难者遗体，之后将开始漫长而复杂的尸检和身份鉴定过程。”

chief constable：（英国）郡警察局长

"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."

“我们的首要任务是保护39名遇难者的尊严，并确保我们为他们的亲友找到遇难原因。

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".

英国国家犯罪局表示，正在协助调查，并努力“紧急查明并对造成遇难者死亡的任何有组织犯罪集团采取行动”。

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

比利时联邦检察官周四在一份声明中表示，已对导致39人死亡的案件展开调查。

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

检察官说：“调查将集中在这次运输的组织者和所有参与方。”

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

瑟罗克议会代理领导人詹姆斯•哈尔登表示，39人遇难是“毁灭性的”。

"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."

他在一份声明中说：“我们必须明确，这是一起可怕的罪行。瑟罗克议会将继续与警方保持紧密联系，支持调查，并保持该地区重要服务的正常运行。这将是一次漫长的调查，我可以肯定的是，议会将与所有部门合作，以了解可以做些什么，以便今后更好地全面开展工作，防止类似事件发生。

holistically [hoʊˈlɪstɪkli]：整体论地

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."

伦敦难民理事会首席执行官莫里斯•雷恩说：“这确实是悲剧，但令人沮丧的是，这原本是可以预见和避免的。如果你不让人们通过安全常规的旅行路线来安全抵达，他们就别无选择，只能冒着生命危险踏上极端危险的旅程，落入犯罪团伙之手。这些团伙预示着一个更深层的问题，即政府未能为那些迫切需要安全的人提供安全保障。”