Essex lorry deaths: Anguish in Vietnam for families of missing

Image caption The families of Pham Thi Tra My and Nguyen Dinh Luong are concerned they may be among the victims

Families in Vietnam are enduring an agonising wait to find out if their loved ones were among 39 people found dead inside a lorry trailer.

Church services for missing relatives – including a 19-year-old woman – have been held in the country.

Meanwhile, the police investigation continues, and a man is due to appear in court on Monday.

Maurice Robinson, 25, has been charged with the manslaughter of 31 men and eight women found in Grays, Essex.

He was further charged on Saturday with people trafficking, immigration and money laundering offences, Essex Police said.

Mr Robinson, of Laurel Drive, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, is due before Chelmsford Magistrates Court.

Image copyright Facebook

Image caption Maurice Robinson will appear before magistrates on Monday, police have said

In Vietnam, relatives of Bui Thi Nhung, aged 19, expressed fears she may be among the dead.

Prayers have been said for her during a service in Yen Thanh, in the northern central coast region of the country.

The teenager is thought to be the youngest of those who died.

Since the bodies were discovered on Wednesday, several families in Vietnam have expressed concerns over missing relatives.

Among them are Pham Thi Tra My, 26, who last messaged her family late on Tuesday, and two men – Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, and Nguyen Dinh Tu.

Media captionNguyen Dinh Sat fears his son was among the 39 found dead inside a refrigerated lorry

A representative of VietHome – a website for Vietnamese people in the UK – said it has passed on the pictures of almost 20 people who have been reported missing to detectives.

Police said they are investigating a “wider conspiracy” after reports that the lorry may have been part of a convoy of three carrying around 100 people.

Another four people have been held by officers.

Three others, a man and a woman, both 38, from Warrington, Cheshire, and a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland remain in police custody.

All three were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people.

A man in his 20s arrested by Irish police in Dublin, was said to be “of interest” to the Essex Police investigation.

The victims – who police initially believed to be Chinese nationals – were inside a lorry trailer which came to the UK via the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

Officers said all of the bodies had now been removed from the trailer and post-mortem examinations were being carried out.

The victims had been carrying “very few” identity documents, leaving officers to rely on fingerprints, DNA and distinguishing features such as tattoos or scars.

Image copyright PA Media

Image caption The bodies were discovered in the early hours of Wednesday

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over the UK’s ability to work with European officials to combat people trafficking after Brexit.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper and exiled Conservative Dominic Grieve voiced the fears over co-operation with Europol as plans for the transition period after Brexit and beyond have yet to be agreed.

However, the Home Office said the UK would continue to work with EU law enforcement agencies with or without a Brexit deal.

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