Man arrested in UK container death investigation

A man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter and facilitating illegal entry into the U.K. in connection with the death of an Afghan man whose body was found in a container at a dock just outside of London on Saturday. Also inside the container - which had arrived from Belgium - were 35 other people, many of them children. The 34 survivors, who are believed to have been inside for 18 hours, have been treated for dehydration and hypothermia. Police said in a statement that the suspect was 34 years old and from Limavady in Northern Ireland and a search of his home address was being carried out to assist in the investigation. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore of Essex Police said that the investigation had already involved a number of police forces and law enforcement agencies across the U.K. and Europe. “We will continue to work closely with all of our policing colleagues as we pursue our investigation to bring those responsible for this crime to justice,” he added.

Dockworkers have said they discovered the people in the container on hearing banging and screams coming from inside. The youngest of those inside was aged just one-year-old, and the eldest 72. They are believed to be Sikhs who had fled Afghanistan to seek asylum in the U.K.  The dead man has been named as 40-year-old Meet Singh Kapoor.