- Two pregnant women and 15 children among 68 shipped into the UK
- Stowaways were 35 Afghans, 22 Chinese, 10 Vietnamese and a Russian
- Seven of the group taken to hospital with abdominal and chest pains
- The sick were taken to hospital and the rest handed over to border officials
- Four Polish drivers have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling them
68
suspected illegal immigrants including two pregnant women and 15
children have been found locked in cargo containers shipped into
Harwich International Port last night.
Four
Polish lorry drivers have today been arrested on suspicion of smuggling
them into Britain from Holland on the Stena Hollandica super-ferry.
Home
Office officials said today the group of 53 adults and 15 children
included 35 from Afghanistan, 22 from China, 10 from Vietnam and one
person from Russia.
Seven
of the stowaways were taken to Colchester General Hospital in Essex for
treatment after complaining of abdominal pains and chest pains caused
by the cramped conditions.
All the suspected illegal immigrants have been assessed and have now been handed to UK Border Agency officials.
Discovery: 68
people including two pregnant women have been found locked in a cargo
container shipped into Harwich in a Stena ship, the Hollandica. Pictured
is the sister ship, the Britannica today
Nationalities: The people caught being
smuggled into the UK included 35 Afghans, 22 Chinese, 10 Vietnamese and
one Russian national
Experts said today they were lucky to be alive and may have been crammed into the container for days with little food or water.
The
route between Holland and Harwich has been described as a 'carousel
system' for immigrants who come to Britain, are deported back to the
Netherlands and then try to sneak back again.
A
Home Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm Border Force officers
discovered 53 adults and 15 children during a proactive search of four
lorries which had arrived at Harwich port from Holland on Thursday
evening.
'Seven
of those discovered were taken to hospital as a precaution, before
being released. All 68 individuals are now in the care of Border Force.
'Four
Polish nationals, who were driving the vehicles, have been arrested on
suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. They have been taken to
separate police stations and will now be questioned by the Home Office's
criminal investigations team while enquiries continue.'
East of England Ambulance Service said they were called after the container was discovered at around 10pm last night.
Gold
commander Matt Broad said that six ambulances, two rapid response
vehicles, and three units from the Trust's Hazardous Area Response Team
were sent.
An
ambulance service spokesman said: 'The patients who were taken to
hospital were suffering from abdominal and chest pains and were feeling
faint. None are in a life-threatening or serious condition'.
They
were all squeezed into lorries heading to the UK on the Stena
Hollandica ferry. It is one of Europe's largest and most modern ferries
that takes containers and passengers.
A
Stena Line spokesman said: 'Stena Line can confirm that a number of
different lorries carrying 68 clandestines were stopped by Border
Control at Harwich International Port last night as they disembarked
from the Stena Hollandica. Th
'The
ship had sailed from the Hook of Holland to Harwich, leaving the Hook
of Holland at 1415 and arriving in Harwich at 1945 on Thursday June
4'.
Investigation:
The nationalities of those crammed into the container not known but the
68 people are believed to have been shipped from Holland.
Pattern: The route between Holland and
Harwich, pictured, has been described as a 'carousel system' for
immigrants who come to Britain, are deported back to the Netherlands and
then try to sneak back again
In March two illegal immigrants died as they desperately tried to sneak into Britain after jumping into the sea off Harwich.
Albanian
Artur Doda, 24, plunged to his death alongside fellow countryman
Leonard Isufaj, 27, after jumping from one of the world's largest
ferries.
They
tried to swim the 500 metres to Harwich but an inquest heard that an
Olympic swimmer would have struggled to cope with the cold water and the
strong tides.
Mr Doda was sliced to death by a ferry's 'machete-like' propeller and his friend Mr Isufaj drowned.
Giles
Young, senior officer with Border Force at Harwich International Port,
told Chelmsford Coroners' Court: 'We see a lot of these particular cases
and the same people will turn up two or three times.
'We have individuals this year who are already on their second attempt and it is only March.
'The Dutch sometimes release them into Holland and they try again. It's a carousel system.'
In August last year 35 immigrants were discovered in a container at Tilbury Docks in Essex.
One of them, 40-year-old Meet Singh Kapoor, from Afghanistan, was found dead.
The group, whose ages ranged from one to 72, are believed to have fled Afghanistan after suffering persecution.
Gateway: Harwich is once of Britain's main container ports and serves ships from Europe, the Mediterranean and north Africa
Later
the same month, one person was taken to hospital after 13 people were
found in the back of a lorry at the Dartford Crossing in Kent.
Essex
Police said in a statement: 'The ambulance service contacted police at
10.15pm on Thursday June 4 to reports they had been called to deal with
68 patients who had been discovered in containers on a ferry from the
Hook of Holland at Harwich Port.
'Essex
Police made contact with staff at Border Force, who were already in
attendance, and they are taking the lead as the incident relates to
immigration offences.
'We are continuing to liaise with Border Force while their inquiries continue.'
REVEALED: WHERE 130,000 DESPERATE MIGRANTS HAVE FLOCKED TO EUROPE FROM THIS YEAR ALONE
Heading to
Europe: Italy and Greece have each seen more than 40,000 migrant
arrivals since January, with the small Greek holiday island of Kos
having already topped 6,000 in 2015 alone. Another popular route into
Europe remains overland with close to 40,000 migrants travelling through
the Balkan states up into Hungary, Slovenia and Austria over the past
six months
More
than 130,000 migrants have already arrived on European shores in 2015,
coming from countries as diverse as Syria, Nigeria and Vietnam in a
desperate effort to flee warzones, avoid genocide and give their
children the best chance to start a new life.
While
migrants risking everything on board cramped, barely seaworthy boats
bound for Italy and the Greek islands grab the headlines, a number of
alternative routes - such as the Canary Islands - have emerged,
highlighting locations that could see a surge in migrant arrivals over
the coming months.
Italy and Greece remain the most popular destinations however, with each having more than 40,000 arrivals since January.
In
fact arrivals of the small Greek holiday island of Kos have already
topped 6,000 in 2015 - arriving at a rate of 300 a day - leaving its
population of 32,000 wondering how many more people they can take.
In
a stark representation of the the sharply rising numbers of migrants
heading to Greece, there have already been 32,160 more arrivals in the
first five months of 2015 than there were in the whole of 2014. The
number heading to the Italy - usually through the island of Sicily and
the southern province of Apulia - have stayed relatively stable this
year, but have still hit 46,500 in just five months.
Another
hugely popular route into Europe is actually overland, with close to
40,000 migrants travelling through the Balkan states up into Hungary,
Slovenia and Austria over the past six months.
With
thousands of migrants having already drowned in the deceptively
appealing waters of the Mediterranean Sea this year, Europe is facing an
unprecedented obligation not just to save the lives of desperate men,
women and children, but also to work out exactly what can be done to
ensure those who survive the perilous voyage, where often the criminal
gangs trafficking them can prove as fearsome and ruthless as the sea
itself.
