UK truck deaths: Driver charged with 39 counts of manslaughter

The driver of the truck which contained the bodies of 39 migrants has been charged with as many counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering, the British police said on Saturday.

Maurice Robinson, 25, from Northern Ireland, is first of those arrested to be charged in connection with an incident which is said to have created the biggest British murder investigation since the July 2005 suicide bombings in London, reported Sputnik.

The development came shortly after police on Saturday arrested a fifth suspect in connection with the tragic incident. Among the other four include a married couple, both aged 38.

31 men and eight women were found dead in the truck early Wednesday at an industrial park in Grays, a town located 40 kilometres east of London.

While the UK police said that they believed the dead were Chinese citizens, the Chinese officials told reporters in Beijing that the nationalities and identities of the victims are yet to be confirmed.