The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

"I can't breathe": she could have sent this message from the truck with 39 Essex bodies

2019-10-26T14:16:41.937Z


A source from the Vietnamese government told CNN that the government has been contacted by a father who believes his daughter, Pham Thi Tra My, 26, may be one of the victims.


  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
  • Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
  • Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)

(CNN) - Fears are growing that Vietnamese citizens are among the 39 people found dead on Wednesday in a refrigerated truck in an industrial park in Grays, Essex.

LOOK: 39 bodies, a truck and a suspect in custody: what we know about the truck with bodies in Essex

A source from the Vietnamese government told CNN that the government has been contacted by a father who believes his daughter, Pham Thi Tra My, 26, may be one of the victims.

The father sent an emergency request to the local authority in Ha Tinh province, about 321 kilometers (200 miles) south of Hanoi, reporting that Pham disappeared after she left for the United Kingdom on October 3, traveling through China and France.

Pham sent text messages to his mother, according to Hoa Nghiem, coordinator of the Hanoi Human Rights Area, who has been in contact with a family representative. Pham said he could not breathe in what is believed to be his last text message to his mother, according to a screenshot shared by Nghiem.

The Vietnam embassy in London has been working with the British authorities after receiving requests Friday from “some Vietnamese families asking for help from the embassy” to find out if their relatives were among the victims, the embassy wrote in a statement.

Essex police initially reported that they believed all the victims were Chinese citizens, but said Friday that "it is now a developing situation." They refused to comment when CNN asked them if Vietnamese citizens were among the victims.

"The police will not comment on any speculation about the nationalities of those who have tragically lost their lives," Essex police deputy director Pippa Mills said Friday in a televised statement.

"I strongly urge journalists and people on social networks not to speculate on the identities of those involved or the circumstances surrounding this investigation," he added.

"I can't breathe"

Pham's text messages were sent at 4:28 a.m. on Wednesday, Vietnamese time, which would have been at 10:28 p.m. Tuesday, UK time. That moment corresponds to the moment when the trailer was in transit to the English port of Purfleet, according to the maritime tables seen by CNN.

READ: They find 39 bodies in a truck in Essex, in the southeast of England, according to police

The text read: “Sorry, dad and mom. The way I went abroad was not successful. Mom, I love both dad and you. I'm dying because I can't breathe. Nghen, Can Loc, Ha Tinh, Vietnam. Mom, I'm so sorry, mom. ”

The BBC reported Friday that it spoke with members of Pham's family, who said they had not heard from Pham since that text message, adding that they paid £ 30,000 ($ 38,000) for her to be taken illegally to Britain.

In a Facebook group, Pham's brother sent a message imploring others to provide information about his sister's whereabouts.

"On October 3, my sister headed from Ha Tinh province to Hanoi to work on the procedures to fly to China, a few days later she flew to France and then to the United Kingdom," Pham Manh Cuong wrote.

“A few days ago she was captured by the British police and the police sent her back to France, and she returned to the United Kingdom. I received the information that she is now dead. So I post this message here asking for your help if you have any information about it. ”

The arrests continue

Three more people were arrested this Friday when the investigation entered its third day

They include a 48-year-old man in Northern Ireland, who was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic in connection with the investigation.

A man and a woman, both 38 and Warrington in northern England, were arrested on suspicion of trafficking and manslaughter, according to Essex police.

LOOK: New arrests and autopsies begin: what we know of the rough finding of 39 bodies in a truck

The 25-year-old truck driver from Northern Ireland, who was arrested on Wednesday, remained in custody on suspicion of murder, police said.

This Friday, Cobelfret Ferries confirmed to CNN that one of its ferries transported the trailer, but refused to detail which. CNN confirmed on Friday that the ferry carrying the trailer is called Clementine.

The trailer was sent outside Zeebrugge in Belgium on Tuesday afternoon, according to Belgian prosecutors, who opened an investigation of human trafficking.

The trailer arrived in the UK shortly after 12:30 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, about an hour before authorities discovered the bodies at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, according to Essex police.

On Friday afternoon, more victims' bodies were transported from the trailer to the Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortem exams, according to the British news agency in Pennsylvania.

"Formal identification processes will be carried out, as well as examinations to determine the causes of their deaths," Mills, deputy director of the Essex police, told reporters.

MIR: What we know of the rugged finding of 39 bodies found in a truck

"This process is likely to be lengthy, but it is crucial and we are working with his majesty's coroner to ensure that the dignity of the victims and respect for their loved ones are at the forefront of our investigation."

This week's investigation is a painful reminder of the tragic events of 2000, when 58 Chinese immigrants were found dead in a truck in Dover.

Sharon Braithwaite and Vasco Cotovio, of CNN, reported from London. Nguyen The Phuong reported from Hanoi. Lan Huynh translated in Atlanta.

Choking Essex Text Message Vietnam

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2019-10-26

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.