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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Chris Kitching

Woman who text mum 'I'm dying' was one of 39 tragic migrants found dead in lorry

A Vietnamese woman who texted her mum to say found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.

The family of Pham Thi Tra My said they received the heartbreaking news in a call from England on Saturday.

The 26-year-old sent frantic messages to her family while she was in the refrigerated lorry trailer, writing: "I am dying, I can't breathe. I love you very much Mum and Dad. I am sorry, Mother."

After waiting more than a week for official confirmation, Ms Tra My's grief-stricken dad, Pham Van Thin, told Vietnamese media that his daughter was among the victims, the Mirror reports .

He told the Tuoi Tre newspaper that the family was notified by someone who called from England.

He added: "The news that my daughter died in England is true.

"It is very painful."

He said the family are planning to bury her in their home town of Nghen once she is repatriated.

In her message to her mum, Ms Tra My also wrote that her "trip to a foreign land has failed".

The family of Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, said he was also confirmed dead.

His dad, Nguyen Dinh Gia, told Tuoi Tre - a newspaper owned by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union - that he received a call from a person acting as a translator for British authorities on Friday night.

Nguyen Dinh Luong is feared to be among those dead (BBC)

He was overcome with grief and collapsed.

He added: "I do not believe that it is true."

Mr Luong's devastated mum said through tears: "For more than a week, I have only prayed for my child to be safe. Now I have no hope.

"Why did my child die so young?"

Relatives of both victims had gone public with their fears after the bodies of the 39 migrants were discovered in a lorry trailer in Grays, Essex, in the early hours of October 23.

Both families had saved thousands of pounds to pay for their children's travels through Asia and Europe, where they hoped to find work and a better life.

Essex Police said all 39 victims - 31 men and eight women - are believed to be from Vietnam

They died in a container that entered Britain via a port in Purfleet, Essex, following a ferry journey from Zeebrugge, Belgium.

Post-mortem examinations are being carried out.

(PA)

Police have not yet publicly identified any of the victims, but families have started receiving phone calls to give them the devastating news they had feared.

Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said previously: "We are in direct contact with a number of families in Vietnam and the UK, and we believe we have identified families for some of the victims whose journey ended in tragedy on our shores."

He added: "This evidence is being gathered across a number of jurisdictions worldwide. As a result, we cannot at this time announce the identity of any of the victims."

Earlier, Vietnam's government said it was "deeply saddened" to learn the 39 migrants found dead in the back of a lorry are all believed to be its citizens.

The government described it as a "serious humanitarian tragedy".

A spokeswoman said Vietnam and British police would publish their findings "as soon as possible".

The men and women were found dead in the back of the lorry (Skty News)

She added: "Vietnam strongly condemns human trafficking and considers it a serious crime subject to strict penalties.

"Vietnam calls upon countries in the region and around the world to step up cooperation in combating human trafficking in order to prevent the recurrence of such tragedy.

"We hope that the British side [will] soon complete the investigation to bring those responsible for this tragedy to justice."

Essex Police have started extradition proceedings to bring 22-year-old Eamonn Harrison from Ireland to the UK.

Harrison, of Newry in Co Down, Northern Ireland, appeared in Dublin High Court on Friday charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, along with human trafficking and immigration offences, and was remanded in custody.

The lorry in which 39 people were found dead on Wednesday (PA)

Detectives have also urged Ronan Hughes, 40, and his brother Christopher, 34, said to have links with the road haulage and shipping industries, to hand themselves in.

The pair, from Armagh in Northern Ireland, are wanted on suspicion of manslaughter and human trafficking.

It is understood Ronan Hughes spoke to police shortly after the driver of the lorry, Mo Robinson, 25, was arrested following the discovery.

Robinson, of Craigavon, Northern Ireland, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

Three other people arrested in connection with the incident - two men aged 38 and 46 and a 38-year-old woman - have been released on bail.

In Vietnam, local media reported that police in the Ha Tinh province had arrested two people in connection with the deaths after launching an investigation into suspected human trafficking of workers.

The investigation was prompted when 10 families from Nghen Town, Thien Loc, Vinh Loc and Thanh Loc contacted authorities to say they had lost contact with their relatives.

It is still not known how the victims, who police initially believed were Chinese nationals, entered the lorry trailer before it travelled from Zeebrugge to Purfleet.

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