"All we know is they found the bodies in the back of a lorry. Essex lorry deaths: CCTV shows arrival at industrial park A spokesman for the Bulgarian foreign affairs ministry said the truck was registered in the country under the name of a company. It then travelled through the Republic of Ireland to Dublin, and from there by sea to Holyhead in Wales, from where it was driven to Purfleet. Essex Police investigate serious crime scene on Cromer Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex. The red and white lorry is pictured at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, surrounded by forensic teams. They died excruciatingly slow deaths, the judge said, of asphyxia and hyperthermia, or overheating. [4], The investigation is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten, a Senior Investigating Officer within the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. Four people received a custodial sentence of at least 13 years. One man spoke with ragged breaths to his family, saying: I cant breathe. [84] Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary, said greater international co-operation was needed to prevent similar events happening again. Twelve days before 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in the container, Marie Andrews was at her mobile home in Orsett, a village about four miles (6km) from Grays. [21] The family of a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman made public her last text message to her parents which she sent as she was dying;[22] her family said they paid around 30,000 to smuggle their daughter from Vietnam to the UK. [4][14], The ambulance service said that all 39 people were dead before it arrived, and attempts at resuscitation could not be made. Read more: Breaking news and updates on Essex crime. [98] He also urged his country's Foreign Ministry to direct the Vietnamese embassy in UK to closely monitor the situation, co-ordinate with the British authorities to verify the identities of the victims and take protective measures in case it was confirmed Vietnamese were among them. "He told me that he would only go on a 'VIP package', in a private car," she said. Investigations revealed that they suffocated to death in 38 degrees in the refrigerated container, where all the oxygen was sucked out. Speculation was rife as drips of information were fed through, clarified and confirmed while politicians stepped in to comment on the deadly discovery. "It's hard to say whether that would change the outcome but we have changed nationally the way that we deal with organised immigration crimes.". Inside was an almost unimaginable sight: 39 people, 10 of them teenagers, were dead. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. [8] Belgian officials said the people were trapped in the trailer for at least 10 hours. Pham Thi Tra My, a 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Dinh Luong, a 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Phong, a 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Nhan Du, a 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Manh Hung, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Tran Khanh Tho, a 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Vo Van Linh, a 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Van Nhan, a 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Bui Phan Thang, a 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh, Nguyen Huy Hung, a 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh, Tran Thi Tho, a 21-year-old woman from Nghe An, Bui Thi Nhung, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Vo Ngoc Nam, a 28-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Dinh Tu, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Van Ha, a 30-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Ngoc, a 19-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hung, a 33-year-old man from Nghe An, Hoang Van Tiep, a 18-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Tien Dung, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Cao Huy Thanh, a 37-year-old man from Nghe An, Tran Thi Mai Nhung, a 18-year-old woman from Nghe An, Nguyen Minh Quang, a 20-year-old man from Nghe An, Le Ngoc Thanh, a 44-year-old man from Dien Chau, Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, a 28-year-old woman from Nghe An, Hoang Van Hoi, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Tho Tuan, a 25-year-old man from Nghe An, Dang Huu Tuyen, a 22-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Trong Thai, a 26-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Van Hiep, a 24-year-old man from Nghe An, Nguyen Thi Van, a 35-year-old woman from Nghe An, Tran Hai Loc, a 35-year-old man from Nghe An, Duong Minh Tuan, a 27-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, a 32-year-old man from Quang Binh, Nguyen Tien Dung, a 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh, Phan Thi Thanh, a 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong, Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, a 34-year-old man from Thua Thien-Hue, Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, a 18-year-old man from Hai Phong, Tran Ngoc Hieu, a 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong, Dinh Dinh Binh, a 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong. [83][6] Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said that she was "shocked and saddened by this utterly tragic incident", and that Immigration Enforcement were working with the Essex Police. Every person in that trailer had left behind a family. During the voyage, the temperature rose from the high 20s all the way up to 38.5C (101F), by which point the air was too toxic for human life. There's approximately 25. He was later arrested in Germany. [55] On 29 April 2020 he appeared before the High Court via videolink, during which he was described as the "ringleader" of a criminal gang. "I saw some legs come out. While the migrants were detained by the French authorities, the driver Christopher Kennedy was allowed to continue on his way to Kent. [44] On 20 April 2020, one of the brothers, a 40-year-old man, was arrested by Garda in the Republic of Ireland on a European Arrest Warrant and charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and immigration offences. gigs and tours harry styles; ozuna and karol g kissing; thayers witch hazel original vs unscented Matthew Long, deputy director of National Crime Agency, said the whole idea of some kind of special service was a con. During the lengthy court cases at the Old Bailey in London, shocking details from the tragedy were uncovered. [80], On 21 March 2022, Dragos-Stefan Damian was jailed for three years and ten months after being found guilty of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Both men had made it as far as France - Tiep, via Russia, in 2017, and his older cousin a year later. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, Lorry container 'became a tomb' for 39 victims, Essex lorry deaths driver admits manslaughter. Murder detectives try to identify 38 adults and teenager thought to have come in trailer from Belgium. "We thought maybe someone had broken into a lorry, but it's just awful. Belgian officials said the eight women . [13] The lorry was in Eastern Avenue at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex. he 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry were already trapped when they arrived at the Belgian coast en route to England, local officials have said. Three others members of the people-smuggling gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration. Following a 10-week trial in 2020, Northern Irish lorry driver Eamonn Harrison was found guilty of 39 counts of manslaughter, while Romanian organiser Gheorghe Nica was convicted of the same charges. RM GA0448 - A police officer at the scene of a shooting at Rayleigh railway station in Essex, after a member of the public was shot armed robbers today. "No-one would choose to travel in such a dangerous way," she said. He was charged with unrelated offences. "For the 39 men and women inside, that lorry had become their tomb. Eamonn Harrison, who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge was sentenced to 18 years. The trial exposed for the first time a complex and lucrative operation which has for years illegally brought Vietnamese people into the UK. ", Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK. Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened. 48 year old Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici is believed to be part of the conspiracy to smuggle the migrants into the UK. It was never sent. A restaurant worker in the industrial estate, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a lot of police and forensics. (From left) Gheorghe Nica and Ronan Hughes were jailed for a total of 47 years, while Eamonn Harrison was sentenced to 18 years. The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK, [Left to right] Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes, Gheorghe Nica and Maurice Robinson were all jailed for manslaughter, [Left to right] Valentin Calota, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga and Christopher Kennedy were also sentenced on Friday, The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October 2019, After receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies, The moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV, Ronan Hughes (left) met Gheorghe Nica at a budget hotel in Thurrock, Essex, learned of his son's death via social media, admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. A cloud of steam that emerged from the trailer, caught on CCTV, spoke volumes of the heat that was still inside the trailer, the judge said. In the BBC documentary Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers, it shared some of the devastating testimonies from the victims' families. "We wouldn't transport animals in that way.". The twice-daily update will deliver the top news and features to your inbox every morning and evening. Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry . THE 39 migrants who died in the back of a lorry trailer in Essex left bloody handprints on the inside doors of the metal container, it has been reported. I am sorry. ", "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on October 25, 2019", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, "CNN slammed for rushing to attack China in report of UK lorry death", "China says identity of victims still being confirmed", "PM orders investigation into overseas trafficking of Vietnamese citizens", "Essex lorry deaths: Vietnam condemns 'human trafficking', "Vietnam offers loans to families to return bodies", "Vietnam offers grieving families loans to return bodies", "Fundraisers help send Vietnam's lorry dead home", "Essex lorry deaths: All victims' bodies back in Vietnam", Young Vietnamese workers risking life and death on 'the line' to Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Essex_lorry_deaths&oldid=1120801721, October 2019 events in the United Kingdom, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 November 2022, at 22:09. "All were to no avail and, before the ship reached Purfleet, [the victims] all died in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death. [59] The police operation was organised with a cross-border team organised by Eurojust that included Belgium, France, the UK and Ireland. White forensic tents were erected and camera crews were set up to document the investigation as the eyes of the world looked on. Two years on from the tragedy, we look back to mourn the lives lost and the investigation which brought those responsible to justice. [48], On 4 November, Vietnamese police arrested eight suspects in the central province of Ngh An in connection with the smuggling ring. Lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, also from Northern Ireland, who collected the migrants in northern France and drove the container to Zeebrugge, was found guilty of people-smuggling and 39 counts of manslaughter in December. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [51][52], On 29 January 2020, a man from Essex, who was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, was detained in Frankfurt. 7th March 2020. Hughes, 41, and lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 26, had previously admitted the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants who were found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex in October 2019. Thwarted in France, he said, the smugglers were possibly attempting to "do two loads in one". In the days after the news broke, Waterglade Industrial Estate was swarmed by police, forensics and press. Essex lorry deaths: The supposed 'VIP' journey that killed 39 people 21 December 2020 Essex lorry deaths Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28, from Nghe An, wrote a text message that was never sent By. Tragedy were uncovered inside, that lorry had become their tomb to Kent looked.! 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