THE deaths of 39 people found in an articulated lorry at an industrial estate in Essex have echoes of a similar case almost 20 years ago.
In June 2000, the bodies of 58 Chinese nationals - 54 men and four women - were found in the back of a lorry at Dover.
Two people were found alive.
The migrants, who were trapped in the air-tight container for 18 hours, likely died of asphyxiation.
The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Dover.
The driver, 33-year-old Perry Wacker from Rotterdam, was sentenced to 14 years in prison the following year for his part in the people smuggling operation.
A court heard Wacker closed the only air vent to the container to avoid detection by immigration officials.
Nine members of the gang behind the smuggling operation were later jailed for their part in the tragedy.
In 2014, a 40-year-old Afghan man died in a shipping container at Tilbury Docks in Essex.
He was found trapped with 34 other people, including seven children.
The container had arrived in Tilbury from Zeebrugge.
Two lorry drivers from Northern Ireland were later jailed for their part in the people smuggling operation.
36-year-old Stephen McLaughlin, from Rose Park, Limavady, Co Derry, was jailed for nine years for supplying the lorry and allowing his shipping account to be used for the container's journeys.
Martin McGlinchey (49), from Derryloughlan Road, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, was jailed for eight years for helping to organise the lorry's movements and driving the container to Dover.
A third man, Taha Sharif from London, was convicted of organising the loading of the people into the container.
