Family of ‘youngest Essex lorry victim’, 19, sob ‘who could do this?’ after they paid £8k for her new life in UK
THE family of a 19-year-old feared to be the youngest victim found dead in a freezing lorry smuggled sobbed “who could do this?” after paying £8,000 for her new life in the UK.
Anna Bui Thi Nhung is believed to be one of the 39 people who died in a desperate attempt to reach England – sparking one of Britain’s biggest every murder investigations.
Her family in their hometown of Yen Thanh in Nghe An Province, abut 170 miles from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, today spoke of their devastation she had died simply trying to find a better life.
Speaking to MailOnline, the teen’s elder sister Bui Thi Loan said: “We are praying for a miracle that Anna is still alive, but we do not have much hope.
“All we want now is for Anna to come home. We want to be able to bury her and to mourn her.
“She was just looking for a better life and we are still struggling to understand how this has happened.”
The teen, who wanted to work at a nail bar, is believed to have travelled through China before arriving in Germany then onto Belgium where she is believed to have boarded the doomed truck.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- The bodies of 39 migrants were found in a lorry after it was picked up from Purfleet, Essex, on October 23
- Driver Maurice ‘Mo’ Robinson has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic humans, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering
- Three others have been arrested in connection with the tragedy
- Cheshire couple Thomas and Joanna Maher – who allegedly once owned the lorry – have been detained and remain in custody
- They are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter
- Mr Robinson reportedly phoned the emergency services 20 minutes after he picked up the lorry
- He will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on October 28
But Reuters reported that during her travels, she posted on Facebook: “I feel lonely in the place I used to dream of everyday.”
She later wrote: “Back in Vietnam, I thought Europe was pink. But it turns out it’s black.”
Up to 25 victims of the Essex lorry horror are from one Vietnamese farming village, it was claimed.
Some migrants are said to have died banging on the truck’s walls after it travelled through the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
Many were naked or had minimal clothing, say sources.
Vietnamese police have today started the grim task of taking DNA samples from relatives of those suspected to have died in the container.
The country’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has since ordered an investigation into alleged human trafficking activities.
FAMILIES IN LIMBO
The family of another feared victim Pham Thi Tra My, 26, told how she was tricked into paying £30,000 for a “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.”
Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, has also been named by his family members as one of those feared to have been inside.
His brother Nguyen Dinh Oanh told the ABC: “I do not know if my brother was in the truck or not, but we are very worried and concerned, before he left for the UK he texted us to say he was about to go.”
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Driver 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.