Last call of man who died while crossing the sea to England

For nearly a month now, the dilapidated house of Mr. Le Van Chau (57 years old), in Hamlet 6, Van Thanh Commune (Yen Thanh), has been shrouded in gloom. In recent days, when the authorities officially confirmed that his son - Mr. Le Van Hau (29 years old), was one of the 27 people who died in the boat accident in the English Channel while crossing the sea from France to England, the family set up a memorial altar.

The victim's father and wife at the memorial altar. Photo: TH

"Now I just want to bring his ashes back as soon as possible. Leaving him alone in a foreign land like that is even more heartbreaking and cold," said Mr. Hau's young wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao.

After graduating from high school, Hau carried his youthful ambitions to many southern provinces to start a business. After many years of failure, Hau decided to return to his hometown to get married. Now, the couple has a 4-year-old daughter. "They have been married for 5 years. But because the family has no money, they have not been able to build their own house, and still have to live with their parents in this old house," Hau's father, Mr. Le Van Chau, said with sobs.

A few months ago, Hau decided to go to Europe to work. The couple then borrowed nearly 300 million VND to cover the expenses. Ms. Thao said that through a broker in the nearby Hoa Thanh commune, Hau paid a company in Hanoi to complete the procedures to go to Poland. On November 18, he boarded a plane in Hanoi to go to Poland.

Young wife tells about her husband's last calls. Photo: TH

"Just a month ago, the family was still together. We were making a meal to celebrate our child's safe journey. Who would have thought that he is now on the other side of the world," Mr. Chau could not hold back his tears.

After arriving in Poland, Hau called his family and informed them that he was on his way to France that same day. After arriving in France, Hau often made video calls to his wife. In those last calls, he showed images of the makeshift lives of people waiting to cross the border to England. "They lived in cramped tents and had very poor food," Thao said.

The last message she received from her husband. Photo: TH

At 1am on November 24 (Vietnam time), Ms. Thao received a text message from Mr. Hau saying "my husband is leaving now". However, Ms. Thao had already gone to bed and had not yet responded to the text message. When she woke up in the morning, she kept calling her husband but could no longer reach him.

A day later, the media began reporting the sinking of the boat that killed 27 people trying to cross the border to England, and the family thought of the worst-case scenario. In the days that followed, the family anxiously waited for a call from Hau, but in vain. More than 20 days later, the family contacted the Vietnamese Embassy in France and learned that the victim was Hau.

"Now the family doesn't know where to get the money to send to England to cremate her husband and bring his ashes. We hope to receive support from the authorities as well as the community," said Ms. Thao.

The victim's family situation in the countryside is very difficult. Hau's mother is fighting cancer. Photo: TH

Previously, on November 24, a serious accident occurred in which a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Pas de Calais province, France, killing 27 people. Immediately after receiving information about the accident, the Vietnamese Embassy proactively contacted local authorities to find out information, identities and nationalities of the victims.

After investigation and verification, on December 16, French police announced that one victim was a Vietnamese citizen, born in 1992, originally from Nghe An. The victim was one of 27 unfortunate people who died when the inflatable boat carrying them capsized while traveling from France to England on November 24. The remaining 26 victims were identified as having different nationalities: Iraq, Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Egypt, including 7 women and 2 children. Only 2 people survived thanks to the support of the French coast guard.

The Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the citizen's family to coordinate information verification, encouragement, understanding of wishes and guidance on necessary procedures.