Essex

A group of 39 Vietnamese citizens, including children, lost their lives in an articulated refrigerator truck in Essex, the UK in October 2019.

The investigation will be continued after Essex police revealed a preliminary cause of death some days ago.

The repatriation completes more than a month after the case reported in Essex, the UK.

The ambassador said the UK and Vietnam will boost the cooperation to prevent human trafficking and protect vulnerable people.

The bodies arrived at Noi Bai International Airport on Wednesday morning and handed over to local authorities.

Vietnam will pay for the repatriation in advance and the families will reimburse the government later.

Pope Francis said human trafficking in its multiple forms, is a wound in the humanity of those who endure it and those who commit it.

The oldest victims were a 44-year-old man from Nghe An and a 41-year-old women from Hai Phong while the youngest ones were 15 and 17 years old.

The Vietnamese and UK governments are discussing how to repatriate the corpses, a foreign ministry official has said.

Vietnamese police and foreign ministry officials have departed for the UK to work on the case.