What should families with relatives who have lost contact on the way to the UK do now?

Speaking to Nghe An Newspaper reporters, Mr. Le Tuan (residing in Yen Hoi hamlet, Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh), said that his son - Le Van Ha (30 years old), has been out of contact with his family for more than 5 days. The last time Mr. Ha called his family, he said he was in France, preparing to cross the sea to England. At the same time, British police discovered a container containing 39 bodies believed to be illegal immigrants.

Mr. Tuan was worried that his son was in that fateful container. “But we don’t know who to call to ask. My son worked through some illegal network, I don’t know. The family just had to mortgage the two land certificates to borrow money from the bank and give it to him,” the man said with tears in his eyes.

Like Mr. Tuan, in Nghe An up to now, there have been 7 families who said their children lost contact at the same time while crossing the border to England. Among them, there are 3 cases in Do Thanh commune, 1 case in Tho Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), 2 people in Dien Thinh commune (Dien Chau district) and 1 person inpeople in Hung Dong commune (Vinh city).

However, these people have not filed a report or called the authorities to seek information. Some families have set up a memorial altar after being “confirmed” by the human trafficking ring and relatives in the UK. In addition, in Ha Tinh, 7 families also said that their missing children are suspected to be among the 39 bodies.

Mr. Le Tuan. Photo: Tien Hung

Recently, Mr. Pasmore, (Chief Inspector of Essex Police, UK) called on Vietnamese people to provide information related to this case. "If you come here, we will do everything to welcome you with open arms, help you through this process, identify as quickly as possible to see if there is anyone you know in this tragedy," Pasmore affirmed.

Ms Pippa Mills - Deputy Chief Constable of Essex Police also urged anyone with information about the case to contact the authorities "without fear", including those living illegally in the UK.

On October 26, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and a number of embassy officials visited the scene of the 39 bodies found in a container and continued working with local authorities and Essex police.

British police examine the container at the time of the incident. Photo: Reuters

The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK is ready to take citizen protection measures in case of Vietnamese victims. To receive support in case of need, citizens are requested to contact the Citizen Protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK:+44 7713 181 501or the phone number of the Citizen Protection Hotline is:+84 981 84 84 84.

Earlier on the morning of October 23, Northern Irish driver Mo Robinson, 25, discovered 39 dead people when he opened the container door at the Waterglade Industrial Park. These people were believed to be on their way to enter the UK illegally.

Regarding this incident, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the Ministry of Public Security to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Committees of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, and relevant localities and agencies to quickly verify the incident to take handling measures, ensuring compliance with Vietnamese and international law.