Vietnamese may be among dead; cops make more arrests

IN A STORY THAT HAS SHOCKED THE WORLD, BODIES OF 8 WOMEN, 31 MEN WERE FOUND IN A TRAILER IN THE UK ON WEDNESDAY

LONDON/BEIJING: Police investigating the deaths of 39 people in a truck near London said they arrested a man and a woman on Friday on suspicion of human trafficking amid signs that some of the dead may be Vietnamese.

As forensic experts began the process of identifying the victims, the Vietnamese embassy in London said families from the Asian country got in touch about missing relatives.

There were growing concerns that at least 10 of the victims could have been from Vietnam.

Hoa Nghiem from Human Rights Space, a civic network based in Vietnam, said Pham Thi Tra My, 26, had sent a text message to her mother saying she could not breathe at about the time the truck container was en route from Belgium to Britain.

“I’m sorry, mum and dad. My path abroad was not a success. I love you both so much. I can’t breathe. I’m from Nghen Town, Can Loc District, Ha Tinh, Vietnam,” the message said.

BEIJING CALLS FOR ‘SEVERE PUNISHMENT’

China called on Britain to seek “severe punishment” for those involved as a state-backed paper said the UK should bear some responsibility for the case.

The widely read Chinese tabloid the Global Times said in a Friday editorial that at the moment it was impossible to say how much responsibility the dead should bear for the tragedy.

“But such a serious humanitarian disaster has occurred under the eyes of the British and Europeans,” the tabloid said. “It is clear that Britain and relevant European countries have not fulfilled their responsibility to protect these people from such a death.”

CHINESE EXPRESSING GRIEF ONLINE

Millions of Chinese were expressing grief online over the gruesome incident. Most messages on China’s Weibo platform extended condolences to the victims and their families while calling for a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry said it was verifying details of the case and was in close communication with authorities in the UK to collect more information.