Essex lorry deaths: 2 held on suspicion of manslaughter

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry in Essex.

The man and woman, both 38, from Warrington, Cheshire, were also held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic.

The BBC has spoken to the families of three Vietnamese people who are worried their relatives may have been in the trailer.

The family of one woman say she sent a text saying she was suffocating.

They say Pham Tra My, 26, sent the message on Tuesday night and they have not been able to contact her since. They said they had paid £30,000 for her to be smuggled to Britain.

Two other families have also been in touch with the BBC. They are relatives of a 26-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman.

The victims were 31 men and eight women and Essex Police initially said they were all believed to be Chinese.

They were found at an industrial estate in Grays at 01:40 BST on Wednesday.

Detectives are still questioning the lorry driver on suspicion of murder.

Police have been given extra time to question driver Mo Robinson, of County Armagh in Northern Ireland, who was arrested on Wednesday. _BBC

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