The internal dimensions of a trailer like the one shown on the news would be around 13.35 m, 2.46 m, and 2.5 m. Assuming it was totally airtight, as many are, how long would 49 adults last, even at ambient temperatures?
It’s a common misunderstanding that refrigerated units draw air from outside, when in fact, they just recirculate the air already inside.
Had the tractor unit been used for some other job that brought it to southeastern England, or did it go all that way with no load just to pick up this trailer?
We don’t know yet. The assumption is that it was solo until it reached Purfleet, but that has not been confirmed.
Reports of survivors have disappeared from the internet. They may have been false.
The BBC is now reporting that the dead were Chinese nationals.
Which just baffles. And reminds me of the awful incident where 20 plus Chinese national drowned while cockle picking in Morecombe Bay (Wiki link). At the time, we were all amazed that we had all these illegal immigrants from China. They seem to fly right under the radar.
Why wouldn’t they just fly into the UK on tourist visas and overstay their welcome?
Without knowing their backgrounds, who knows. Speculating, but if they came from a place under oppression or victimisation (such as the crackdown on minorities in Xianjiang), then they may be viewed as an overstay risk and refused a tourist visa.
Or maybe they couldn’t get passports issued for some reason.
Indeed
Also speculating, but I would imagine the cost of flying would be a barrier.
I would speculate that the human smuggler fees would be at least as much as a plane ticket.
Not everyone can qualify for a tourist visa to a country like the U.S. or U.K. You have to show that you are well off enough in terms of assets or employment in your home country that you wont be tempted to overstay and work illegally.
This. Smugglers aren’t typically in business because they’re cheaper than commercial aviation; they’re in business because they get you into countries that you, because of your unique legal circumstances, can’t travel to by commercial aviation.
As I understand it, there are no border restrictions within continental Europe (EU) countries, but there is a customs inspection between the continent and the UK and they do turn back people who might not be welcome (i.e. not EU citizens). There is/was in fact a huge refugee camp near the Chunnel entrance full of migrants hoping to sneak into Britain jumping into trucks boarding the Chunnel train.
Not sure what the situation is travelling from the continent to Ireland (Republic of) but the fact that there are no border restrictions between Ireland and Northern Ireland is a very important political point (and a complication what to do about it if/when Brexit). That presumably explains the path of the trailer. It’s a back door to Britain with less controls.
The trailer appears to have been nowhere near Ireland, but to have been shipped on a freighter direct from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in Essex. It was the tractor bit that came from Ireland to pick it up in Purfleet.
As for entry requirements and documentation, not all EU countries are in the Schengen common travel area. If you enter that area illegally, there won’t be regular checks at any national borders within it, but you might well be challenged to produce papers at any point.
The UK and Ireland have their own common travel area, but are not in Schengen, so to enter either legally you would go through a regular border check. But in this case, people were being smuggled past Belgian and UK border checks on traffic from Belgium, not Ireland.
No doubt there will in due course be legal proceedings bringing out as much information as the police can gather.
From a BBC report:
And being rejected at point of entry or deported means a ban on entry.
Note also that a tourist visa isn’t the only kind that people overstay; depending on the situation, other types may be easier or harder to obtain than one for tourism.
The Daily Fail says people are paying up to £10000 (or much more) to get to Britain. It’s a bargain compared to sitting in the middle of a civil war or government crackdown, so, unsurprisingly, there is a long queue of people happy to pay it.
But why take the additional risk to get into the UK if they were already in relatively safe and prosperous Belgium?
The same reasons that the migrants in Calais, France wanted to reach the United Kingdom (Migrants around Calais - Wikipedia)
[ul]
[li]the richer U.K. economy means more chances of finding work[/li][li]the perception that UK immigration rules are more lenient[/li][li]the ease of living in an English speaking country[/li][/ul]