Responding to the news that the bodies of 39 people have been found in a lorry container in Essex, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“This is a heartbreaking and horrifying incident. People who are forced to take dangerous and sometimes fatal passages to reach the UK often do so because current immigration policies and practices deny them safe and legal options.

“As the police investigation continues our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those affected by this awful tragedy.”