Suspected, 25 Immigrants Dead at Freezer Lorry

LONDON - Five people have been taken to hospital after a group of suspected illegal immigrants, including children, were found in the back of a freezer lorry.

Officers were called to reports of a group of up to 40 people trapped inside the vehicle, with some initially said to be dead, according to police.

They arrived at Clacket Lane services, between junctions 5 and 6 of the M25, at 10.15am on Friday, to find 15 people in the back of the lorry.

Five of them were children, who will now be placed in the care of social services, a Surrey Police spokesman said. Those on board were said to be from Iraq, Syria and Iran.

The driver of the white HGV, who was travelling northbound, stopped at the service station after reporting that he had heard loud banging coming from inside.

One of the calls to police had reportedly come from the driver, while the second had come from a person inside the freezing container.

"We received a couple of phone calls this morning, one from the lorry driver and one from the people inside the lorry, that he had heard noises inside it and that people inside were saying there were 40 of them and some of them were dead," Surrey Police's Inspector, Alan Nicholls told BBC News.

"Naturally, it was a very high-speed response to this. We have attended, together with the South East Coast ambulance service, and assessed 15 people taken out of the back of this vehicle. None of them, I'm pleased to say, are dead. Five have been taken to East Surrey hospital for a check-up and some of the 10 that were left were juveniles so we're looking at getting them placed with the social services, and another five will go down to Dover for immigration," he added.

The lorry driver is assisting police with inquiries and the investigation will be passed on to UK Visas and Immigration, the spokesman added.