UPDATE: 25-year-old charged with 39 counts of manslaughter in connection to bodies found in container

(UPDATE: Oct. 28 @ 6:40 am) - The Northern Ireland man who was arrested shortly after 39 dead bodies were found in a shipping container in Essex has been officially charged.

Over the weekend, 25-year-old Maurice Robinson was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

He made his first appearance in court on Sunday and is now back in custody with a second court date set for Nov. 25.

A man charged in connection with the deaths of 39 people whose bodies were found in #Grays last week has appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court via video link.

He's been remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 25 November.
Read more: https://t.co/mbiyDMUded

— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) October 28, 2019

Essex Police arrested three others in connection to the investigation, while a fifth suspect was arrested by police in Dublin.

All four have been released on bail and have future court dates in November.

Police are still working to identify the 39 people who were found dead last week in the container being hauled by Robinson.

The container arrived in Essex from Belgium and was picked up shortly after midnight on Oct. 23 by the 25-year-old.

The bodies were discovered around an hour later, at which point the ambulance service and police were called.

Local media have interviewed people with connections to Robinson, who have claimed that the young man was unaware of the contents of the container until he opened it in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Those interviewed say he was horrified with the discovery of the 39 deceased and frozen bodies and immediately called emergency services.

(UPDATE: Oct. 24 @ 8:35 am) - Essex Police have released more details concerning the grisly discovery of 39 bodies inside a shipping container on Wednesday morning.

It's believed the victims are Chinese nationals, with 31 of them being men and the other eight being women.

We can confirm that we have secured a warrant of further detention for a 25-year-old man being held on suspicion of murder.

The man, a lorry driver, was arrested in #Grays and will now remain in custody for up to an additional 24 hours.

Read more: https://t.co/xV0eScfksL pic.twitter.com/eweH5J5w7y

— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) October 24, 2019

A 25-year-old Northern Ireland man remains in custody on suspicion of murder, but police "have not speculated about the identity of this man, and we will not do so."

However, a warrant of further detention has been secured, which means he will remain in custody for an additional 24 hours.

On Wednesday, authorities removed the container from the industrial yard where it was found and what will be a lengthy investigation continues.

"Each of the 39 people must undergo a full coroner’s process to establish a cause of death, before we move on to attempting to identify each individual within the trailer," says a statement from Essex Police.

"This will be a substantial operation and, at this stage, we cannot estimate how long these procedures will take."

On Wednesday, police confirmed that the shipping container, which is registered in Bulgaria, came to the United Kingdom from Belgium.

(Original story: Oct. 23 @ 2:20 pm) - A small number of answers regarding a tragic discovery in Essex, England are starting to come forward.

Around 1:40 am today, police were called by local ambulance services to report that 39 people had been discovered dead inside a shipping container at a one an industrial park.

The container is registered in Bulgaria and there's been plenty of speculation that it was carrying migrants, but police in the United Kingdom have yet to confirm that.

The latest update from police says the container came from Belgium and docked in the Thurrock area of Essex around 12:30 am.

It was picked up by a tractor unit that allegedly originated in Northern Ireland and left the port around 1:05 am.

The 39 bodies were discovered inside less than an hour later, but police and ambulance services are mum on the details about how that discovery transpired.

A 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland was driving the tractor trailer and has now been arrested on the suspicion of murder.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter in the early hours of the morning to express his condolences to the families of the victims.

I’m appalled by this tragic incident in Essex. I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened. My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives & their loved ones.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 23, 2019

“I’m appalled by this tragic incident in Essex,” he wrote.

“I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened.”

Police have confirmed that the victims included 38 adults and one teenager.