Police move the truck container where bodies were discovered, in Grays, Essex, Britain on October 23, 2019. Two more families in the Central Vietnam have reported to local authorities that their relatives are missing on the way to the UK

Phan Ngoc Tho, chairman of the People’s Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Province, said that the relatives of Nguyen Ba Vu, 34, residing in the province’s Hue City, had reported Vu’s disappearance to the provincial Department of Foreign Affairs.

The province has recorded the report and the local competent agencies are transferring the case to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve efforts to identify the deceased victims. More specific information is not available, Tho said on the sidelines of the National Assembly (NA) session today, October 30.

Vu is reportedly working abroad and did not depart from the province. Accordingly, foreign affairs agencies have to work on the case carefully before making any conclusion, the chairman added.

Besides this, another family in Quang Binh Province asked for help in finding their relative. On October 28, N.X.G., 55, from the province’s Bo Trach District, came forward to report that he had lost contact with his 32-year-old son, N.N.H, for the last 10 days since he had started his journey from France to the United Kingdom.

The date he went missing, October 22, corresponds with dates reported by families in Nghe An and Ha Tinh. The competent agencies are working on the case, said Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, deputy head of the Quang Binh NA delegation.

For those feared to be among the deceased, the ministries of Public Security and Foreign Affairs and the relevant agencies are teaming up with British officials to work on the identification process. The local people should stay calm and await the official results from the authorities, Phuong added.

To date, 28 families in Ha Tinh and Nghe An have reported their relatives missing; these individuals are believed to be victims of the container truck incident.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has received requests for help from 14 families through its citizen protection hotline and has transferred the details of these families to British authorities to help with the identification process. So far, none of the victims has been identified.

Labor agent returns US$43,170 to relatives of England container truck victim

A labor agent in the central province of Nghe An has returned VND1 billion (US$43,170) to relatives of 19 –year-old Tran Thi Ng., who could be among the dozens of people found dead in the back of a truck in England.

Chairman of People’s Committee in Hung Dong Commune Tran Anh Tan yesterday said that the girl lost contact with her family while on the way to England.

Before, the family had paid the agent $47,000 for the trip to Britain. After the news of 39 people found dead in the back of a container truck in southeastern England was released, the agent soon paid back $43,170.

In the time, police in the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh got DNA of relatives of people who feared to be dead in back of the British refrigerated truck.

Meanwhile, relatives of people who feared to be dead on the way to England in the rural central province sank into mourning with communities as they believed their children are amongst the truck victims.

Both Chinese and Vietnamese officials are now working closely with British police over the incident. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered government officials to help establish the identities of the victims and look into cases of Vietnamese citizens sent abroad illegally.

Minister of Public Security General To Lam yesterday held telephone talks with Home Secretary of the UK Priti Patel on the work in defining the identities of the victims believed to be of the Vietnamese nationality in the incident.

On the same day, police in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue unearthed a human trafficking ring. 34-year-old Director of Hoang Phat Company Bui Thi Thu Hong, 32-year-old Nguyen Khac Trong and 32-year-old Nguyen Van Chuong will face prosecution.

Police have verified four people who paid at least $21,000 for the ring.

Police continued to further the investigation. SGT/SGGP

Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security ready to send teams to UK

Gen. To Lam, Minister of Public Security, held telephone talks in the afternoon of October 30 with Priti Patel, Home Secretary of the UK.

Vietnamese Deputy FM makes phone call to British official over lorry deaths

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung has thanked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and relevant agencies of the UK for their active support and sharing of information related to lorry deaths in Essex with Vietnam.