All 39 bodies found in the refrigerated truck in Essex, the UK have been identified and confirmed Vietnamese, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has stated.
| The victims are now identified. |
“39 victims were residents of Haiphong, Hai Duong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Thua Thien-Hue,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday evening.
“Essex Police and Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner have now confirmed that all 39 victims of the Essex lorry tragedy have been identified as Vietnamese,” British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward said on the embassy's Facebook.
“HM Senior Coroner Mrs Caroline Beasley-Murray has now formally identified all of the victims, and the families of those victims have been notified,” according to Essex police.
The senior officer in charge of the enquiry, Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said “This is an important step in the investigation and enables us to work with our Vietnamese Police colleagues to support the families of those victims. 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.”
Ambassador Ward said: “On behalf of the UK, I want to express my sincere condolences to the victims’ families and friends. The next step will be to ensure that the victims can come home as soon as possible to their final places of rest.”
On November 5, Essex Police Deputy Chief Constable Pippa Mills worked with a Vietnamese police delegation led by Col. Tran Van Du.
After Essex police said they believed the victims are Vietnamese, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked related agencies to work with British authorities for soon identification.
The Vietnamese government has taken firm steps to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Vietnam hoped the British police to soon complete the investigations into the case, and strongly condemned human smuggling.
