2000 Dover incident
| Date | 18 June 2000 |
| Location | Dover, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
| Cause of Death | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Asphyxia |
| Fatalities | 58 |
| Survivors | 2 |
| Perpetrator | Perry Wacker |
On 18 June 2000, just before midnight, 58 dead bodies were found in a lorry in the port town of Dover, England. Two people were found alive but injured and taken to a hospital.
Incident
The Dutch lorry came from a ferry that had arrived from Zeebrugge in Belgium. It was determined that the deceased were immigrants, and likely died of asphyxiation, though carbon monoxide poisoning was not ruled out. The 60 immigrants were trapped in the container for more than 18 hours, when the outside temperature reached 32 °C (90 °F). It was confirmed by police that the deceased were Chinese illegal immigrants, 54 men and 4 women. The incident was one of the largest mass killings in British criminal history, and the largest involving immigrants entering the United Kingdom.[1][2]
The driver of the lorry was Perry Wacker, 33, of Rotterdam. Wacker was arrested at the scene and, in 2001, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his part in an organised people smuggling operation, coordinated by a Chinese snakehead gang. He was also found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants. In 2003, nine Chinese gang members were jailed in the Netherlands for their part in the tragedy.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
See also
References
- ↑ Dover victims fought for air
- ↑ 58 Chinese migrants found dead in lorry at Dover, Britain
- ↑ 58 dead in port lorry
- ↑ Driver of lorry in which 58 Chinese died gets 14 years
- ↑ 14 years for Dover tragedy lorry driver
- ↑ Terror inside the lorry of death
- ↑ Chinese human smugglers jailed
- ↑ Smuggled immigrants 'promised flights'
- ↑ Dutch trucker found guilty in deaths of 58 Chinese immigrants
Coordinates: 51°7′15.3″N 1°18′47.2″E / 51.120917°N 1.313111°E