Essex lorry deaths: Identities of all 39 victims revealed, including ten teenagers
UK and Vietnam governments working towards repatriation of bodies
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Update: Essex police have confirmed that no further action will be taken against Christopher Hughes
Ten teenagers including two 15-year-old boys were among the 39 people found dead in a lorry after being smuggled into the UK, police have confirmed.
The names and ages of all the victims were officially released on Friday afternoon, just over two weeks after their bodies were discovered in a trailer in Grays, Essex.
They included Pham Thi Tra My, 26, who texted her mother to say “I’m dying because I can’t breathe” as she was transported to Purfleet from Zeebrugge in Belgium.
All 39 victims, eight of whom were female and 31 male, came from six provinces in Vietnam.
The youngest were the 15-year-olds Nguyen Huy Hung, from Ha Tinh, and Dinh Dinh Binh from Hai Phong, while the oldest was a 44-year-old man, Le Trong Thanh from Dien Chau.
Essex Police said in a statement that they had all been formally identified after a commission was set up, overseen by the county’s senior coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said: “This was an incredibly important process and our team has been working hard to bring answers to worried families who fear their loved one may be among those whose tragic journey ended on our shores.
“Our priority has been to identify the victims, to preserve the dignity of those who have died and to support the victims’ friends and families.
“It remained of paramount importance to us to ensure that an individual’s next of kin were informed, and that they were given some time to absorb this tragic news before we publicly confirmed their loved one’s identity.
“We have worked closely with the National Crime Agency, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Vietnamese authorities to identify and locate their families.”
Ms Beasley-Murray offered her “deepest condolences” to the victims’ families and added: “My thoughts are with them at this unimaginably difficult time.”
The full list of victims is:
- Pham Thi Tra My, a 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh
- Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Nguyen Huy Phong, 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Vo Nhan Du, 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Tran Manh Hung, 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Tran Khanh Tho, 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Vo Van Linh, 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Nguyen Van Nhan, 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Bui Phan Thang, 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh
- Nguyen Huy Hung, 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh
- Tran Thi Tho, 21-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Bui Thi Nhung, 19-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Vo Ngoc Nam, 28-year-old man from Nghe An
- Nguyen Dinh Tu, 26-year-old man from Nghe An
- Le Van Ha, 30-year-old man from Nghe An
- Tran Thi Ngoc, 19-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Nguyen Van Hung, 33-year-old man from Nghe An
- Hoang Van Tiep, 18-year-old man from Nghe An
- Cao Tien Dung, 37-year-old man from Nghe An
- Cao Huy Thanh, 33-year-old man from Nghe An
- Tran Thi Mai Nhung, 18-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Nguyen Minh Quang, 20-year-old man from Nghe An
- Le Trong Thanh, 44-year-old man from Dien Chau
- Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Hoang Van Hoi, 24-year-old man from Nghe An
- Nguyen Tho Tuan, 25-year-old man from Nghe An
- Dang Huu Tuyen, 22-year-old man from Nghe An
- Nguyen Trong Thai, 26-year-old man from Nghe An
- Nguyen Van Hiep, 24-year-old man from Nghe An
- Nguyen Thi Van, 35-year-old woman from Nghe An
- Tran Hai Loc, 35-year-old man from Nghe An
- Duong Minh Tuan, 27-year-old man from Quang Binh
- Nguyen Ngoc Ha, 32-year-old man from Quang Binh
- Nguyen Tien Dung, 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh
- Phan Thi Thanh, 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong
- Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, 34-year-old man from Thua Tien Hue
- Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, 18-year-old man from Hai Phong
- Tran Ngoc Hieu, 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong
- Dinh Dinh Binh, 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong
Essex Police said the UK and Vietnamese governments were working together to repatriate the victims.
Maurice Robinson, a 25-year-old lorry driver from Northern Ireland, has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, and money laundering.
A second man, Eamonn Harrison, 22, was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, along with human trafficking and immigration offences, after being arrested in Ireland last week. Essex Police have started extradition proceedings to bring him to the UK.
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 for questioning.