- 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) - The bodies of 16 Vietnamese immigrants found dead in a truck in the United Kingdom in October arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport on Wednesday.
All the bodies were transferred to ambulances and sent to the respective provinces of origin of the victims, but no family member was allowed to travel for security reasons, the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The bodies will be delivered immediately to the families of the migrants upon arrival in their home towns and the funerals are scheduled for the same day, the ministry said.
Family members carry the coffin of the migrant Nguyen Van Hung after arriving in Hanoi on November 27, 2019.
Investigations are under way in several countries in connection with the incident, in which the bodies of 39 people later identified as Vietnamese citizens were found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck in Essex County, in southern England.
READ : They find 39 bodies in a truck in Essex, in the southeast of England, according to police
Eight people have been arrested in connection with the case in Vietnam, while the truck driver, Maurice "Mo" Robinson, 25, has been charged with 39 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the United Kingdom. Another man arrested in Ireland is being sought for extradition by the Essex police.
Vietnamese officials described the deaths in the truck as a "serious humanitarian tragedy," while the case attracted global headlines and highlighted the route, often highly dangerous, that some immigrants take to Europe.
Airport personnel load a coffin towards an ambulance in Hanoi.
Risky journey
Speaking to CNN in October, the relatives of the victims said they paid large amounts of money to human traffickers to transport their relatives to the United Kingdom, where they were expected to work and send money back.
READ : "I can't breathe": she could have sent this message from the truck with 39 Essex bodies
“After this, no father will allow his children to go to work abroad. Because now it is very risky, ”said Ho Van Thanh, who runs a small roadside shop in the village of Do Thanh in Nghe An province, where many young people left to find employment elsewhere.
“Money is important. But the most important thing is people, life. ”