39 Corpses in Containers, Chinese Media Call Britain Responsible

39 Corpses in Containers, Chinese Media Call Britain Responsible A total of 39 bodies were found in a truck container in Britain. Photos / Specials

Britain and other European countries must accept responsibility for the deaths of 39 people, believed to be Chinese citizens, in a refrigerated truck near London. So said the Chinese media, Global Times.

Paramedics and police found 31 bodies of men and eight women on Wednesday in an industrial area in Grays in Essex, about 30 km east of the British capital.

For years, illegal immigrants have gone by truck while trying to reach England. They often come from mainland Europe. In 2000, 58 Chinese citizens were found dead in a tomato truck in the port of Dover.

At that time it was impossible to say how much responsibility the dead had to bear for the tragedy, said the widely read Chinese newspaper in an editorial.

"But serious humanitarian disasters have taken place under the eyes of Britain and Europe," he wrote.

"It is clear that the UK and relevant European countries have not fulfilled their responsibilities to protect these people from such deaths," he continued as quoted by Reuters on Friday (10/25/2019).

The newspaper added that even if it was found to be smuggled into the country, the deaths of the victims were not their fault.

"We hope that Britain and European countries will put in place their various commitments to human rights and make efforts to free Chinese people from sudden abuse and death," in an editorial also published by the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official media.

The Global Times says Britain does not seem to learn from the Dover incident two decades ago.

"Imagine how carefully European countries would take action if dozens of Europeans were collectively killed tragically in several ways," the newspaper said.

"Could it be that the British and Europeans are asking themselves why they cannot avoid the same tragedy. Are they taking all the serious remedial actions they can take?" the newspaper continued.

China itself has not officially confirmed that the victims are citizens.

On Friday, the Chinese embassy in London said it had sent a team to Essex to meet with police.

"British police say they verified the identity of the deceased, and cannot currently confirm that they are Chinese citizens," the embassy said.