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31 found hidden in container

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প্রকাশ কাল: শনিবার, ১৬ আগস্ট, ২০১৪

Man dies as 35 found in container

Police stand by the main entrance to Tilbury Docks in Essex

A man has died and other people have been taken to hospitals with “significant health problems” after 35 adults and children were found inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks in Essex.

The suspected immigrants arrived on a P&O commercial ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium at around 6am, the firm told the Press Association.

Essex Police were called after the people were discovered inside the container as it was being unloaded at 7.35am by Port of Tilbury authorities.

Basildon Hospital said it was “responding to a major incident”, and a spokeswoman said the hospital was providing treatment for 19 people including seven children. She added that “they are all currently being assessed,” and that the hospital’s accident and emergency centre is still open

Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent, said it was “currently on standby to receive cases”.

A police officer at the scene said they are still trying to determine the nationalities of those on board the container but they are believed to be of Indian origin, possibly Punjab.

A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust confirmed that 35 people were involved in the incident and that one patient had died at the scene while others were suffering from severe dehydration and hypothermia.

He said: “After initial treatment by ambulance crews, all patients have now been conveyed to surrounding hospitals for further care; seven have been taken to Southend Hospital, nine to London Whitechapel Hospital and 18 to Basildon Hospital.”

The service sent a hazardous area response team to the docks after it was called out at 6.37am to treat people who had been found in a container.

A statement said: “We sent seven ambulances, two rapid response cars, a patient transport services vehicle, two duty operational managers, two Basics doctors and our hazardous area response team (Hart), a number of which are still on scene.”

“We are working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority to ensure patients receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible.”

Staff from the Port of Tilbury and UK Border Force are also dealing with the incident.

Natalie Hardy, from P&O Ferries, said the immigrants were in a container on board the Norstream, a commercial vessel which carries freight between Zeebrugge and Tilbury.

She said the ship was scheduled to leave Zeebrugge last night at 10pm and arrive at Tilbury today at 6am, and was carrying 64 containers, 72 trailers and five lorries and drivers.

Ms Hardy said: “They (port authorities) found 35 clandestines on a container in the ferry. They had been in there overnight, because the ship was an overnight freight ferry.

“This morning when they went to unload containers there was a noise heard, a banging. One unfortunately was dead and others were taken to hospital.

“UK Border Agency and all emergency services were called and went to the scene and have been handling it since.”

Ms Hardy said the container arrived on the quay at Zeebrugge yesterday at 6.56pm and was loaded on to the ferry at 8.07pm.

It was not yet known who owns the container or where it came from.

According to the website MarineTraffic.com, the 180m by 25.5m Norstream was built in 1999 and its registered in the Netherlands.

Yves Le Clef, harbour master at the Port of Zeebrugge, said he he had no information about the incident.

“This is the first I have heard,” he said.

The port’s website describes it as an “ideal location to serve the markets of continental Europe as well as the British Isles” and the “main gateway to Europe”.

It says the port’s total cargo traffic has tripled from 14 million tonnes in 1985 to 43.5 million in 2012.

 




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