Essex lorry – Family of graduate, 33, feared to be among 39 dead migrants slam ‘cruel and evil’ people smugglers – The Sun

THE family of a 33-year-old graduate today slammed "cruel and evil" people smugglers after the bodies of 39 people were found inside a freezing container.

Nguyen Van Hung texted his parents to tell them he was "going by taxi" to get to the UK on October 21 – with the Vietnamese parents now fearing he is one of the  victims in one of Britain's biggest murder investigations.


Mum Pham Thi Lan and dad Nyguen Thanh Le now face the grim task of providing DNA that will tell them if their son was inside the doomed container.

Speaking to the Mail Online, the mourning dad said: "The people who did this are cruel and evil. The driver only has to stop and let the people out and give them a chance to live."

He said his son – his second of six children – had obtained a music studies degree but had been unable to get a job.

Van Hung's family say he then travelled to France and was working as a dishwasher with hopes of getting to the UK.

But his parents said they became worried when his calls home abruptly stopped after October 21.

In his last message, he told his family he would be "taking a taxi" to England – with them now fearing he didn't want to worry them by telling them he would be smuggled in a container.

The people who did this are cruel and evil

Fearing the worst, mum Pham Thi Lan sobbed as she paid tribute to her "loving" son.

The family are among those desperately waiting for answers, with candlelit vigils held over the weekend in the northern Vietnamese village of Yen Thanh, home to around 24 suspected victims.

Lorry driver Mo Robinson, who made the grim find when he opened the container on Wednesday, will today face court charged with manslaughter.

Robinson, 25, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland, was also charged with conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

It is understood the container passed through the Belgian port town of Zeebrugge before arriving in the UK last week.

LEFT TO DIE

Among them are the family of 19-year-old Anna Bui Thi Nhung, who is feared to be the youngest victim found in the freezing lorry.

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.

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."

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.

The Vietnamese Embassy in London has today set up a channel to liaise with Essex Police as they work to identify victims.

The country's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has since ordered an investigation into alleged human trafficking activities.

Gareth Ward, Britain's ambassador to Vietnam, today said he had met with the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam to discuss the tragedy.

He said: "At this time, we have not received confirmation as to who these people are, and where they are from.

"But whatever nationality they have, our hearts go out to their families and friends."





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.”

But despite the horror, migrants have said they won't stop trying to get to the UK.

The Sun yesterday revealed how Vietnamese migrants were still waiting in France for smugglers to help them cross the Channel – saying they had come too far to turn back now.

Migrants in Zeebrugge, where the doomed container passed through, have also said they won't stop trying to get onto trucks for the perilous journey.















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