LONDON (AP) — U.K. police say they have formally identified all the 39 people found dead in a shipping container last month in southeastern England and notified their families. 

British authorities have been working with Vietnamese police and the coroner to identify the bodies found Oct. 23 in an industrial park in the town of Grays.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith says the identification work marks "an important step in the investigation and enables us to work with our Vietnamese Police colleagues to support the families of those victims."

He added "it is only right that we provide an opportunity for family members to take in the news confirming the death of their loved ones before releasing any further information."