UK police arrest two more people over Essex lorry deaths

British police said Friday two more people had been arrested after the Essex lorry deaths.

A truck trailer is parked in a lot at the Port of Zeebrugge, in Zeebrugge, Belgium, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. [Photo: IC/AP/Olivier Matthys]

The man and woman, both 38, from Warrington, Cheshire, were taken into custody after warrants were carried out, Essex Police said.

The lorry driver was arrested Wednesday and is still being questioned on suspicion of murder

A murder investigation, described by the Essex Police as the largest in the force's history, has been launched following the tragic discovery of the bodies of 8 women and 31 men in the trailer of a lorry on Wednesday.

A statement from the Essex Police said that detectives investigating the incident have "secured a warrant of further detention" for the lorry driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland.

Media reports said that the 39 deceased found in the lorry container were Chinese nationals.

On Thursday night, a spokesperson with the Chinese Embassy in the UK said the embassy had sent a team led by the minister-counsellor in charge of consular affairs to Essex and they had met with the local police.

"The police said that they are verifying the identity of the deceased, whose nationality still cannot be confirmed," the spokesperson said.