Beijing: British police have yet to confirm that the 39 people found dead in a truck near London were Chinese nationals, the Chinese foreign ministry said Friday. A Chinese consular official travelled to Essex on Thursday, a day after emergency workers discovered the bodies inside the refrigerated container of a vehicle parked in an industrial area. Police in the UK have said "all are believed to be Chinese nationals".

The truck had arrived on a ferry from Belgium. "British police said they were verifying the identity of the victims and could not confirm whether they were Chinese," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. The Chinese consular official, Tong Xuejun, told state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday that he had met with British police.