39 people found dead in Essex lorry were all Chinese: UK police.

LONDON -- The 39 people found frozen to death in a trailer shipped from Belgium to Britain are all believed to have been Chinese nationals, British police said. "We have since confirmed that eight of the deceased are women and 31 are men and all are believed to be Chinese nationals," police said in a statement on Thursday. The Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed the report, according to the Global Times.

The paper, published by the official People's Daily newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, said the foreign ministry said "nothing more could be released as of now". The announcement has raised speculation that the victims could have been Uighurs, Muslim...