Five police officers from East China's Fujian Province will go to Britain this week to help British police identify the 58 suspected illegal immigrants who turned up dead in a truck container, Dover Police Press Office told China Daily last night.
British police said they have made significant progress in identifying half the 58 suspected illegal immigrants, although no names have been released yet.
British police said the identity of the 58 deceased will be disclosed after all are identified and their relatives notified.
Zhu Jian, mayor of Fuqing in Fujian Province said some of the deceased stowaways were from his region and from Fujian's Changle area.
The 58 stowaways, 54 men and four women, suffocated in the container, which arrived in Dover on June 18. Two people survived.
The Chinese police will greatly help the investigation, British police said. But they refused to disclose by what means they will work with China to identify the victims.
The Chinese Government has strongly condemned illegal immigration organizers and said it will work with British police to identify the dead and bring those responsible to justice.
Perry Wacker, the Dutch lorry driver, will appear in a lower court again this Friday before heading to a higher court for trial, British police said.
Wacker is suspected of manslaughter, facilitating the two survivors' illegal entry into Britain and "attempting to facilitate" the illegal entry of the 58 who died.
(China Daily 06/28/2000)
