Up to 25 victims in Essex lorry may be from same Vietnamese farming village
UP to 25 victims of the Essex lorry horror are from one Vietnamese farming village, it was claimed.
Families in Yen Thanh are in mourning after hearing nothing from loved ones.
It is feared they were among 31 men and eight women found in a refrigerated trailer, 5,000 miles away in Grays on Wednesday.
Yesterday devastated relatives claimed the lorry was one of three carrying 100 migrants to the UK.
Two vehicles are thought to have completed their trips to unknown destinations. The third, carrying the victims, was delayed somewhere en route, it is claimed.
Some migrants are said to have died banging on the truck’s walls.
Many were naked or had minimal clothing, say sources.
The trailer had arrived from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, possibly after being driven from France.
Cops in the UK, Vietnam and China are investigating.
COVERED IN SORROW
Prayers played over loudspeakers and candlelit vigils were held in Yen Thanh yesterday — as sources said a woman there had been charged with trafficking.
Reports suggested gangs had been visiting the community to refund distraught relatives.
Catholic priest Anthony Dang Huu Nam said several families had come to him for comfort.
He said of the victims: “They wanted a new life but now the whole district is covered in sorrow.”
The youngest victim is believed to be Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, who dreamed of working in a UK nail bar.
“Relatives said she paid an agent £8,000 for “safe passage”.
Neighbour Le Dinh Tuan said: “Many families in Yen Thanh have got rich from money sent back by their children working abroad.”
The family of Pham Thi Tra My, 26, told how she was tricked into paying £30,000 for a “VIP” trip.
FATAL ‘VIP’ TRIP
Tra My texted her mum “I love you so much. I’m dying because I can’t breathe”, as she suffocated in the sealed trailer, it is claimed.
Dad Pham Van Thin said he and his wife paid Snakehead gangs £30,000 for their daughter’s trip despite earning just £400 a month.
Pham said: “I’ve lost my loved one and my money. The smugglers said this was a safe way — by plane or car.
“If I’d known she would go by this route, I would not have let her go.”
A human rights group source said: “Tra My was using the ‘Very Important Service’ — like a business class ticket on the lorry.
“She had to pay double or three times the price of the cheap ticket.”
Tra My’s brother said she left her home in Can Loc, flew to China then left for France.
She tried to cross into the UK on October 19 but was turned back. Her second attempt proved fatal.
Another victim is thought to be Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20.
Driver charged
TRUCKER Mo Robinson, who made the grim find on Wednesday, was last night charged with manslaughter.
Robinson, 25, left, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland, is also charged with conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.
He is set to appear before Chelmsford JPs tomorrow.
Police are continuing to quiz a man, 48, from Northern Ireland, who was held at Stansted on Friday.
Haulage boss Thomas Maher and wife Joanna, both 38, of Warrington, are also being questioned.
Dad Nguyen Dinh Gia said his son told him two weeks ago he planned to travel to Britain from France, where he had been living illegally since 2018. He said he would pay £11,000 for the trip.
Gia then took a call from a Vietnamese middleman saying: “Please have some sympathy, something unexpected happened.”
Gia said: “I fell to the ground when I heard that. It seemed he was in the truck.
“He wanted to work hard in Britain and send money so his mother wouldn’t have to break her back on the rice farm.
“Now she has lost a son and all our hope is gone. The people who took our money must be punished.”
Also missing are Hoang Van Tiep and cousin Hung Nguyen, 18.
Last Monday the pair were pictured at the Eiffel Tower in Paris while awaiting passage to England.
Hung’s dad Thanh Le said his son had been in France for a year working as a dishwasher. The family had paid a man £13,400.
Last week they were asked for a similar amount after Hung was promised work in a UK nail bar.
They have heard nothing since.
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Det Chief Insp Martin Pasmore, heading the task of identifying the bodies, said his team had found “very few” documents in the lorry.
They will check victims’ fingerprints with Vietnamese authorities.
Belgian police are still hunting the driver who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge.
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