11 of the 39 bodies were taken from the Port of Tillbury to Broomfield Hospital in the town of Chelmsford, Essex last night for an autopsy.

The remaining bodies will be taken gradually to the hospital and expected to be completed by the end of the week. Dr Richard Shepherd, one of Britain's leading forensic researchers, said the 39-person autopsy would be "very slow and sequential."

"The screening was meticulously conducted, beginning with observing external factors such as clothing, jewelry, identification, and a passport," Shepherd explained.

The doctor added that the examiners would also look for clues related to the victim's step into the container. "Will they be beaten, forced or sexually assaulted?" He said.

Mo Robinson, who operated a container carrying 39 bodies, called for an ambulance on October 23 after discovering many people in the trunk and health workers had informed the police. The 25-year-old driver drove his tractor from Dublin, Ireland to the Purfleet port in Essex to pick up shipping containers from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. He stopped at the Waterglade industrial park after 30 minutes of moving.

Robinson was detained and interrogated by police on suspicion of the deaths of people in a container. Police also searched two houses in Armagh county, Northern Ireland for investigation. One is Robinson's house and the other is owned by the suspect's parents.

British police claimed that 31 men and 8 women found in the frozen container were Chinese. Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said he sent a team to Essex to assist police in verifying the victims' identities, emphasizing that their nationality has not yet been confirmed.

Container truck route carrying 39 people to the UK (click on the image for details). Graphics: Tien Thanh.