Eight illegal immigrants, including two children, found gassed in chemical tanker heading to London

The stowaways - including two boys and a woman - were overcome by fumes after trying to smuggle themselves into London from Germany.

Witnesses said the migrants - from Iraq, Iran and Eritrea - were banging on the insides of the tanker and screaming: "Let us out, let us out. We're dying!"

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Eight illegal immigrants were taken to hopsital after being found in this tanker today in Bexley, south-east London

They were pulled from hatches on top of the lorry, which was carrying a hazardous industrial cleaning substance, with their faces blackened by the powdered cargo.

The three Iraqi Kurds, three Iranians and two Eritreans - a woman of 30 and a 12-yearold believed to be her son - were treated for the effects of gas inhalation in hospital, where they were later arrested. Police said their conditions were not life-threatening.

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One of the eight illegals is treated in an ambulance at the scene. Witnesses said some of their faces were blackened by chemicals

The drama began at 8am when the driver of the German-registered lorry pulled over in Bexley, South-East London.

Road worker Peter Hobbs, 19, said: "We were digging the road up when a tanker stopped about 70ft away.

"The driver jumped out and was shouting to us, 'Quick, quick. There's someone in the back'. We could all hear this loud banging.

"I dropped my tools and ran over with a couple of the lads and the banging was getting louder and louder. People were screaming , 'Let us out, let us out. We're dying'.

"Someone called the police and ambulance. The driver said he couldn't open the tanker because there were chemicals inside. The police cordoned off the road.

"The ambulance crews went to the top of the tanker and were pulling people out."

Mr Hobbs added: "A couple of them were screaming in pain. They said they were dying."

Lorraine Johnson, 57, who lives in a flat opposite, said: "They were being pulled out from the hatches by their hands and legs. It was horrible - I thought they were dead. Their bodies were limp and lifeless.

"Their faces were black and couple of them had their mouths wide open as if they were gasping for air."

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The driver, a 55-year-old German, was detained on suspicion of people trafficking. The case highlights the risks that illegal immigrants will take to get into Britain.

The discovery has chilling similarities to the case of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants found suffocated in the back of a lorry after it arrived at the port of Dover in 2000.

Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green said: "This could have been another of the terrible tragedies associated with human trafficking. It reinforces the need for a properly integrated border police force, so we can be more effective in fighting the people traffickers."

The tanker is owned by H Freunda company with offices in Frechen, Germany, and Runcorn, Cheshire. Police said it started its journey in Cologne.

Officials were last night checking the stowaways' immigration records to see if they can be deported swiftly. Any who have been previously thrown out of Britain could be flown home in a matter of weeks.