'What sort of people can put others into a container and let them die?': Family of 'youngest death truck victim', 19, beg for her body to be returned home after they clubbed together to pay smugglers £8,000 for her new life in Britain

  • Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, is feared to be among the 39 people found dead in the back of a container
  • Her sister Bui Thi Loan said they want her body repatriated to her village of Yen Thanh in Nghe An Province
  • Half a mile away in the same village another family erected a shrine to former soldier Nguyen Dinh Tu 

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Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, is feared to be among the 39 people who were found dead in the back of a container

Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, is feared to be among the 39 people who were found dead in the back of a container

The family of the youngest victim of the freezer container horror have pleaded for her body to be returned to Vietnam so they can say a final farewell.

Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, is feared to be among the 39 people who were found dead in the back of a container that arrived from Belgium.

Her elder sister Bui Thi Loan told MailOnline they wanted her body repatriated so that she could be buried in the village that she had left in search of a better life.

'We are praying for a miracle that Anna is still alive, but we do not have much hope,' said the 26 year old.

'All we want now is for Anna to come home. We want to be able to bury her and to mourn her.

'She was just looking for a better life and we are still struggling to understand how this has happened.'

As Bui spoke the teen's mother lay prone on the bed at the family home too grief stricken to speak or move.

It comes as the haulage boss and his wife Thomas and Joanna Maher, who were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, have been released on bail.

They previously told MailOnline they had owned the container the victims' remains were found in until last year. They have now been bailed until November 11. 

Relatives gathered in the courtyard of the house in the village of Yen Thanh in Nghe An Province, abut 170 miles from the country's capital Hanoi.

They sat smoking and drinking tea as a procession of visitors called to pay their respects at a makeshift shrine bearing a photo of Anna.

As Bui spoke the teen's mother (pictured) lay prone on the bed at the family home too grief stricken to speak or move

As Bui spoke the teen's mother (pictured) lay prone on the bed at the family home too grief stricken to speak or move

The victims were thought to have been carrying false Chinese passports having begun their perilous journey to the UK from China

The victims were thought to have been carrying false Chinese passports having begun their perilous journey to the UK from China

Anna's sister said: 'We are praying for a miracle that Anna is still alive, but we do not have much hope'

Anna's sister said: 'We are praying for a miracle that Anna is still alive, but we do not have much hope'

Joanna and Thomas Maher, arrested in connection with Essex lorry deaths. They have now been released on bail

Joanna and Thomas Maher, arrested in connection with Essex lorry deaths. They have now been released on bail

Less than half a mile away in the same village another family had erected a shrine to former soldier Nguyen Dinh Tu.

Family members revealed that they are certain he was among those who died as he was due to meet with to relatives – both living in the UK illegally – and failed to show up.

His brother Nguyen Van Tinh said they had made contact with the relatives but admitted as they were living in the UK illegally they had been too afraid to contact police investigating the deaths.

Anna Bui Thi Nhung's family and relatives, seen at the family house in Yen Thanh district

Anna Bui Thi Nhung's family and relatives, seen at the family house in Yen Thanh district

Anna's elder sister Bui Thi Loan (right) said they wanted her body repatriated so she could be buried in the village that she had left in search of a better life

Anna's elder sister Bui Thi Loan (right) said they wanted her body repatriated so she could be buried in the village that she had left in search of a better life

Van Tinh handed MailOnline a photograph of his brother which he requested be sent to Essex Police to help in any identification.

The photograph shows Dinh Tu sitting on a park bench with his right arm covered with tattoos.

MailOnline has emailed the photograph to Essex Police as well as supplying contact details for the family.

While more than half a dozen names of potential victims have been revealed authorities in Vietnam have not made contact with the families to request with identification.

Authorities in Vietnam confirmed they had been contacted by 24 families fearing their loved ones are among the victims of the lorry death trap.

The families are from two provincial areas, Ha Tinh and Nghe An.

The victims were thought to have been carrying false Chinese passports having begun their perilous journey to the UK from China.

Van Tinh handed MailOnline a photograph of his brother which he requested be sent to Essex Police to help in any identification

Van Tinh handed MailOnline a photograph of his brother which he requested be sent to Essex Police to help in any identification

Brother Nguyen Van Tinh admitted that as they were living in the UK illegally they had been too afraid to contact police investigating the deaths

Brother Nguyen Van Tinh admitted that as they were living in the UK illegally they had been too afraid to contact police investigating the deaths

Chinh Nguyen, father of Nguyen Phan Thang, a suspected victim of 39 deaths in a truck container in UK, cries at his home in Ha Tinh province

Chinh Nguyen, father of Nguyen Phan Thang, a suspected victim of 39 deaths in a truck container in UK, cries at his home in Ha Tinh province

Close family members said Dinh Tu, who has a young son, was an acquaintance of Anna who had hoped to work as nail technician after arriving in the UK.

'He did know her as this is such a small place, but they were not that close friends. He would have recognised her when they met up' said a family friend.

Family members named a third victim from the same village as former policeman Le Van Ha.

This has led to Yen Thanh being called ' The Village of the Dammed' as others among the 39 victims are thought to have originated from the same area where poverty is rife and jobs scarce.

All three victims had left Yen Thanh some months ago in the hope of finding work in the UK and sending money home to support extended families.

Anna's family sat smoking and drinking tea as a procession of visitors called to pay their respects at a makeshift shrine

Anna's family sat smoking and drinking tea as a procession of visitors called to pay their respects at a makeshift shrine

As is the custom a small shrine bearing fruit and flowers surrounding a photograph of Dinh Yu had been set up in a front room of the house

As is the custom a small shrine bearing fruit and flowers surrounding a photograph of Dinh Yu had been set up in a front room of the house

Anna, who left school at 15 with no qualifications, had told family and friends she travelled to China and Germany before reportedly climbing into the ill-fated refrigerated container that ended up in Essex.

Her cousin 30 year old Tran Dinh Luc said she had been a 'happy kind girl' who wanted to make a new life and help support her family after the death of her father two years ago.

'We all miss her terribly but are holding out for a miracle that she did not get in the lorry.

'We want to have her back home. The family will not be able to grieve properly until she is home.'

Her aunt said she has nothing but contempt for those responsible and wants justice for her niece.

Robinson arrived in the UK at the weekend after a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead. He picked up the trailer, which had been shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet. Minutes later, he pulled into the Essex industrial estate and the alarm was raised

Robinson arrived in the UK at the weekend after a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead. He picked up the trailer, which had been shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet. Minutes later, he pulled into the Essex industrial estate and the alarm was raised

Essex Police are investigating lines of inquiry to "establish whether there is a wider conspiracy involved" in the deaths of 39 people found in a lorry in Grays on Wednesday, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore said

Essex Police are investigating lines of inquiry to 'establish whether there is a wider conspiracy involved' in the deaths of 39 people found in a lorry in Grays on Wednesday, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore said

Family members named a third victim from the same village as former policeman Le Van Ha (right)

Family members named a third victim from the same village as former policeman Le Van Ha (right)

'The people who did this must be held to account,' said Vu Thi Bich Thao.

'What sort of people can put others into a container and let them die. It is so cruel.'

The family have been following developments on their smart phones and were aware that the driver of the lorry had been charged with 39 counts on manslaughter.

Who has been arrested so far?

As police in the UK continue their investigations into the 39 migrants who lost their lives trying to enter the country, we keep track of who has been arrested so far.

Lorry driver Maurice Mo Robinson: Arrested on suspicion of murder, police also given extra time to quiz the 25-year-old.

Mo Robinson is the truck driver arrested after 39 people were found dead in the back of a lorry he was driving

Mo Robinson is the truck driver arrested after 39 people were found dead in the back of a lorry he was driving

Joanna Maher, 38, and her husband Thomas, also 38: The Warrington couple who previously told MailOnline they had sold the container are understood to have been held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 counts of manslaughter.

Mrs Maher, a mother-of-three, pictured with her trucker boss husband Thomas, told MailOnline that she sold the lorry involved in the deaths of 39 migrants to an Irish haulage firm 13 months ago

Mrs Maher, a mother-of-three, pictured with her trucker boss husband Thomas, told MailOnline that she sold the lorry involved in the deaths of 39 migrants to an Irish haulage firm 13 months ago

48-year-old man from Northern Ireland: The latest arrest took place at Stansted Airport. The identity of the man has not yet been revealed, but police said he has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and suspicion of manslaughter. 

20-year-old man from Northern Ireland: The man was arrested after getting off a ferry on Saturday afternoon.A blue Scania truck that he was driving has been impounded by the police.  
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But his arrest is little comfort as they come to terms with the horrific final moments of loved ones as they desperately tried to escape the icy tomb inside the container.

'It makes me so sad to think of how Anna was feeling in those last minutes,' said a friend.

'She, like the others, must have been terrified and wanted to get out.

Bich Thao said her niece had wanted to earn money to send home to her mother so that she could pay off her debts.

She said many of the homes in the village had been built with funds sent back from family members who had moved abroad to find work.

Family members had clubbed together to find the $10,000 demanded by people smugglers to get Anna into the UK.

Prior to boarding the lorry Anna had posted photos to her Facebook account showing her drinking bubble tea in Brussels.

Her family last heard from her on October 21 and it is the silence in the last dew days that has led them to be convinced she is dead.

A short distance away at the family home of victim Dinh Tu his brother said all he wanted was to be able to arrange a funeral for his younger brother.

He told how his younger brother had left Vietnam three months ago and worked in a factory in Romania where he was paid just over £400 a month.

'He had to pay for his accommodation out of the money and it was not enough. That is why he tried to get to the UK,' he said.

Nguyen Van Tinh said his brother's widow Hoang Thi Thuong was so devastated that she had been admitted to hospital.

'She is not very well,' he said. 'This has hurt the family.'

Van Tinh confirmed that his brother was due to be met on his arrival in the UK by two other relatives who were going to help him find work.

He said both men were working illegally and had been smuggled into the country.

'They are too afraid to come forward and say anything,' said Van Tinh whose eyes were red rimmed from weeping.

As is the custom a small shrine bearing fruit and flowers surrounding a photograph of Dinh Yu had been set up in a front room of the house.

Visitors were asked to light an incense stick and place it by the photo, which under a Vietnamese tradition is meant to help guide a soul home.

The driver of the refrigerated trailer has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and people trafficking.

The 31 men and eight women were initially believed to be Chinese, but several Vietnamese families have now come forward with fears their relatives are among the dead.

Many are believed to have come from impoverished villages in central Vietnam, where some families now fear the worst.

Le Minh Tuan has not heard from his son Le Van Ha since a message over Facebook around a week ago saying 'I'm about to board a car to Britain. I will contact the family when I arrive in England, Dad.'

That was two days before the refrigerated trailer stuffed with bodies was discovered in Essex, east of London.

'We've heard no news from him since,' Tuan told AFP, his eyes red from crying.

Le Minh Tuan (pictured) has not heard from his son Le Van Ha since a message over Facebook around a week ago

Le Minh Tuan (pictured) has not heard from his son Le Van Ha since a message over Facebook around a week ago

'For sure he was in that lorry. I just want my son's (body) back home,' he said in Yen Hoi village, Nghe An province.

The 30-year-old left his two young sons and wife in Vietnam in June, travelling to Turkey then Greece and France en route to the UK.

Ha hoped to find work to pay back $30,000 paid to smugglers to get him to Europe, and another $8,500 loan to build the family home.

'He wanted to go to pay the debts... and send money back to his kids so they would have a better life,' said his father, clinging to his grandson and weeping.

'For sure he was in that lorry. I just want my son's (body) back home,' he said in Yen Hoi village, Nghe An province

'For sure he was in that lorry. I just want my son's (body) back home,' he said in Yen Hoi village, Nghe An province

Nearby, the mother of missing 28-year-old man Vo Ngoc Nam said she had not yet heard anything on the fate of her son, who had been working in Romania and planned to travel to Britain.

'I have been waiting anxiously over the past few days for any news from him, but we got nothing,' the stricken mother told AFP.

Villagers planned to gather for Sunday mass later in the day to pray for the 39 victims.

Central Vietnam is a common feeder for illegal migrants chasing promises of riches overseas. Many end up working in Britain illegally in nail bars or on cannabis farms, heavily indebted and subject to exploitation.

Five people have so far been arrested in Britain in connection with the tragedy, the country's largest murder probe since the 2005 London suicide bombings.

Nearby, the mother of missing 28-year-old man Vo Ngoc Nam (pictured) said she had not yet heard anything on the fate of her son

Nearby, the mother of missing 28-year-old man Vo Ngoc Nam (pictured) said she had not yet heard anything on the fate of her son

Essex police say they want to fast-track the process of fingerprint identification and DNA testing, but said it would take time.

Vietnam media reported that authorities had been contacted by 12 families fearing their loved ones were among the victims.

The dozen included families from Yen Thanh and Ha Tinh.

Essex Police expect full identification of all the victims to take several weeks.

The Vietnamese Embassy in London has started a hotline while the ambassador to the UK, Tran Ngoc An, spoke to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday night before meeting investigators from the National Crime Agency and Essex Police.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore told reporters on Saturday the ambassador had visited the civic centre in Grays to pay tribute to the victims.

He said there were 'very, very few' identity documents recovered and that police will share fingerprints with Vietnamese authorities in a bid to identify the bodies.

Investigators will also look at tattoos, scars and belongings, including jewellery and clothing, with each of the victims said to have had some kind of bag.

More than 500 exhibits have been collected, including mobile phones, which will be downloaded and interrogated for any messages that could give clues to the identity of the victims or how they came to be in the back of the trailer.

Three other people arrested over the deaths remain in custody.

And a man suspected of driving the container filled with migrants to Zeebrugge ahead of its doomed trip across the Channel has appeared in court in Ireland on unrelated charges.

The 23-year-old was held at Dublin Port when he arrived on a ferry from France after his details were circulated by Belgian authorities. His blue Scania truck was impounded.

Essex police say they are ‘liaising’ with their Irish counterparts over the case.

The man was arrested and appeared in court over a road accident in Germany.  

Pham Tra My, 26, has not been in contact with her family since sending a final text message home on Tuesday saying she could not breathe

Pham Tra My, 26, has not been in contact with her family since sending a final text message home on Tuesday saying she could not breathe

A 48-year-old man, from Northern Ireland, was detained at Stansted Airport on Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter.

Officers had earlier arrested a couple named locally as haulage boss Thomas Maher and his wife Joanna, both 38, in Warrington, where they have a four-bedroom home.

The pair, originally from southern Ireland, were held on suspicion of 39 counts of manslaughter and people trafficking.

In Belgium, police are hunting the driver who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge, the port it left before arriving in the UK.

It is not yet known when the victims entered the trailer, where temperatures can be as low as minus 25C if the fridge is activated, or the exact route it travelled.

Belgian officials said the trailer arrived at Zeebrugge at 2.49pm on Tuesday and left the port the same day en route to Purfleet.

The trailer arrived at Purfleet at around 12.30am on Wednesday, and was picked up by the cab, known as the tractor, which arrived from Northern Ireland via Holyhead in North Wales on Sunday.

The lorry left the port at Purfleet shortly after 1.05am before police were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park on Eastern Avenue in Grays at 1.40am.

The family of one of the young Vietnamese women thought to be among the 39 dead said she dismissed their pleas not to travel.

Pham Tra My, 26, has not been in contact with her family since sending a final text message home on Tuesday saying she could not breathe. 

The lorry driver, 25-year-old Maurice 'Mo' Robinson, from Northern Ireland, is due to appear in court on Monday charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to traffic people, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.

Relatives of Ms Tra My told the BBC they have not been able to contact her since she sent a text on Tuesday night saying she was suffocating.

'I am really, really sorry, Mum and Dad, my trip to a foreign land has failed,' she wrote.

'I am dying, I can't breathe. I love you very much Mum and Dad. I am sorry, Mother.'

Ms Tra My is reported to have paid a charge of about £30,000 to people smugglers in order to be brought into the UK illegally.

Anna Tran Thi Giao, grandmother of Vietnamese Joseph Nguyen Dinh Luong who is one of the suspected victims of the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated truck in Britain, reacts at her home in Ha Tinh province

Anna Tran Thi Giao, grandmother of Vietnamese Joseph Nguyen Dinh Luong who is one of the suspected victims of the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated truck in Britain, reacts at her home in Ha Tinh province

Her father, Pham Van Thin, told Sky News: 'We tried to talk her out of it because it would be a very difficult journey for her as a girl.

'But she said: 'If I don't go, the family would stay in a very difficult situation because of the big debt'.

'So she took a risk and decided to go, and we had to agree.'

He added: 'We all have been in shock. I cannot explain our pain and devastating feeling. We were all very devastated and sad.'

He told CNN that smugglers said the crossing was 'a safe route' and that people would go by aeroplane or car.

'If I had known she would go by this route, I would not have let her go,' the father said.

All of the victims have since been moved from the vehicle in Tilbury Docks to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for post-mortem examinations to be carried out.

Essex Police are now working on the largest mass fatality victim identification process in its history, having previously said all were from China.

Investigators will look at tattoos, scars and belongings, including jewellery and clothing, with each of the victims said to have had some kind of bag.

More than 500 exhibits have been collected, including mobile phones, which will be downloaded and interrogated for any messages that could give clues to the identity of the victims or how they came to be in the back of the trailer.

Detectives are investigating a 'wider conspiracy' after claims surfaced that the lorry could have been part of a convoy of three carrying around 100 people.

The mother and a sister of 19-year-old Bui Thi Nhung set up an altar in the village of Yen Thanh in north-central Vietnam after a family friend in the UK told them she had died after paying thousands of pounds in the hope of finding work in a nail bar.

Another Vietnamese father, Nguyen Dinh Gia, fears his 20-year-old son, Nguyen Dinh Luong, was among the victims.

The Vietnamese Embassy in London has started a hotline while the ambassador to the UK, Tran Ngoc An, spoke to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday night before meeting investigators from the National Crime Agency and Essex Police.

Lorry driver Robinson is expected to appear before magistrates in Chelmsford on Monday.

Three other people arrested over the deaths remain in custody while a man wanted in connection with the investigation was arrested at Dublin port on Saturday. In Belgium, police are hunting the driver who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge, the port it left before arriving in the UK.

It is not yet known when the victims entered the trailer, where temperatures can be as low as minus 25C (minus 13F) if the fridge is activated, or the exact route it travelled.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said greater international co-operation is needed to prevent similar events happening again.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, she added: 'You cannot stop international people tracking gangs, if people trafficking is what this is, you can't stop them without working internationally.

'Yes, we can try and make our east coast ports more secure, but you have to have more international co-operation.'

 

Dreams of a better life: Faces of the migrants who died in truck tragedy while trying to enter UK - as it emerges 25 of the 39 victims were from the same Vietnamese village 

Hoping for a better life, here are the faces of the 39 people who are believed to have frozen to death in the back of a truck after a desperate attempt to reach Britain.

The victims were discovered naked, or with minimal clothing, and had been desperately 'banging on the doors' for help and had 'foam coming from their mouths'.

The bodies of eight women and 31 men could have been frozen in the truck for several days when they were discovered on Wednesday in Grays, Essex, after the container criss-crossed the Channel via refugee hotspots.

It is now thought that as many as 25 of the 39 victims are Vietnamese and from the same impoverished coastal region of Yen Than.

Relatives said several were going to work in nail salons.

Relatives of victims are said to have received visits from gangs offering them refunds for the failed journeys, The Sun reports.

VietHome, a British organisation which tries to help UK-based Vietnamese residents, said it had been sent 20 photographs and names of people feared to have been inside the lorry container.

Seven suspected victims have so far come to light, Anna Bui Thi Nhung, Pham Thi Tra My, Nguyen Dinh Luong, Nguyen Dinh Tu, Vo Ngoc Nam and cousins Hung Nguyen and Hoang Van Tiep.

All 39 people have been moved from Tilbury Docks to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and are being formally identified. 

 
Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, from Vietnam paid an agent over $10,000 with the hope of entering the U.K.

Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, from Vietnam paid an agent over $10,000 with the hope of entering the U.K.

An aspiring nail technician who paid almost £8,800 in a desperate attempt to make it to Britain

Anna Bui Thi Nhung, 19, from Vietnam paid an agent over $10,000 with the hope of entering the U.K. to work as a nail technician, according to a relative. 

Her mother and a sister today cried as they set up an altar with incense and a photo of the suspected victim where family and friends can pray at their home in Do Thanh village. 

The family heard from a friend living in the UK that 'Nhung is one of the victims,' said one of her relatives, who was visiting the missing teen's mother. 

Nhung and many others from Yen Thanh district, where the village is located, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Hanoi, travel abroad looking to make the type of money they cannot earn back home. One of their main goals is to send back enough to allow their families to build large homes that they would otherwise be unable to afford.

On October 21, days before her family lost contact with her and the news of the doomed shipping container emerged, Nhung wrote in a Facebook post: 'Being grown up means having to hide your sadness in the dark, and keeping a smile on your face.' 

A relative looks at an image of Nhung. The 19-year-old wanted to work as a nail technician, according to a relative

A relative looks at an image of Nhung. The 19-year-old wanted to work as a nail technician, according to a relative

Nhung's family said she first left Nhung on her journey overseas in August. She went to China first, before eventually making her way to Germany, then Belgium, where they believe she boarded the fated truck.

'I just want a peaceful life,' Nhung wrote in a caption beneath a photo of her smiling in a green field a few weeks after leaving Vietnam. 

Late on Saturday night, Nhung's family, devoid of hope, set up an altar in her memory, with her photo next to her father's.

Her father died of cancer a few years ago. Her mother was unable to work because of health complications and so her loved ones clubbed together to finance a new life overseas, Nhung's family said.

The missing woman's relatives wait for news about her at her home in Ngh¿ An Province, Vietnam

The missing woman's relatives wait for news about her at her home in Nghệ An Province, Vietnam

'Nhung didn't have the qualifications to get a good job with handsome pay. Nor do her friends and many others here,' said Nhung's uncle, Hoang Binh. 

'Going abroad and sending back money was the only choice,' he added. 

By early September, it was not clear where she was, but Nhung was already well into her trip, and reflecting on her next steps.

Beside a stock image of two children flying kites at sunset, she posted: 'As I grow up, I see that life is not as peaceful as I used to think. When I grow up, I want to go back to my childhood, when I lived freely'. 

Anna Tran Thi Hien, mother of suspected victim Nhung, sits on a bed at her home

Anna Tran Thi Hien, mother of suspected victim Nhung, sits on a bed at her home

Ton Quang Tuan, one of Nhung's friends living in Berlin, said that 'We went out a few times when Nhung was in Berlin' and added that 'she was in a good mood, very happy,' but they lost contact after she said she had to leave for Britain.

It was not clear how Nhung had travelled from the Vietnamese countryside to China and then Berlin, but the German capital has emerged in recent years as a staging ground for Vietnamese and other migrants looking to start new lives in Britain.

'I feel lonely in the place I used to dream of everyday,' Nhung wrote on September 25.

It was unclear where she was - Vietnamese smugglers are said to advise their subjects to live discreetly and not to give away too many clues in order to evade detection from the authorities.

The family heard from a friend living in the UK that 'Nhung is one of the victims,' said one of Nhung's relatives, who was visiting the missing teen's despaired mother. Pictured: The family wait for news about Nhung

The family heard from a friend living in the UK that 'Nhung is one of the victims,' said one of Nhung's relatives, who was visiting the missing teen's despaired mother. Pictured: The family wait for news about Nhung

A few days later, Nhung was pictured outside Berlin Cathedral with a cup of bubble tea in her hands.

By late October, Nhung was in Belgium. She posted photos of herself, again with a cup of bubble tea in her hand, excitedly exploring the sights of Brussels, including the old stock exchange and the bustling Rue Auguste Orts thoroughfare.

It was from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge that the doomed container eventually departed. Her family believe that she was on board.

In Berlin, Nhung wrote: 'Back in Vietnam, I thought Europe was pink. But it turns out it's black'.

 

'Sorry mum, I can't breathe': The harrowing messages sent from inside the lorry by a victim who only wanted 'a better life' 

Suspected victim Pham Thi Tra My, 26, sent her mother a series of harrowing messages telling her she 'loved her' and was 'dying because she couldn't breathe' in the moments before her death, her family have claimed

Suspected victim Pham Thi Tra My, 26, sent her mother a series of harrowing messages telling her she 'loved her' and was 'dying because she couldn't breathe' in the moments before her death, her family have claimed

Suspected victim Pham Thi Tra My, 26, from Vietnam sent her mother a series of harrowing messages telling her she 'loved her' and was 'dying because she couldn't breathe' in the moments before her death, her family have claimed.

They claim to have paid people smugglers £30,000 for their daughter to travel to the UK via China 'in search of a better life'.

She is from Ha Tinh, an impoverished province in a part of Vietnam where many of the country's illegal migrants come from. 

Nguyen Thi Phong and Pham Van Thin, told CNN it was 'very painful' to receive the text - saying she must have known she was going to die when she sent it.

'I've lost both my loved one and my money,' her father Pham said, claiming he and his partner scraped together the money to pay for their daughter to travel to the UK.

The pair, who make around $400 a month between them, said the smugglers did not tell them how their daughter would be transported to the UK.

'The smugglers said that this was a ... safe route, that people would go by airplane, car ... if I had known she would go by this route, I would not have let her go,' Pham added.

A human rights worker in Vietnam, who has spoken with Tra My's family, revealed she made the perilous journey because her family was in debt and she was desperately trying to help them. 

Her family claim to have paid people smugglers £30,000 for their daughter to travel to the UK via China
She is from Ha Tinh, an impoverished province in a part of Vietnam where many of the country's illegal migrants come from

Her family claim to have paid people smugglers £30,000 for their daughter to travel to the UK via China 'in search of a better life'

'She had just returned from Japan where she was working to try and pay off the debt. And that was not enough and so she looked for a better future,' she told the BBC.

Asking to remain anonymous, the human rights worker continued: 'For this girl it is very sad that she took the risk because she was dealing with debt that was created by another man in the family.

'And I also learnt that the service that she was using was called 'very important service' and so it is like a business class ticket on the lorry and with that she had to pay double or three times the price of the cheap ticket.'

In text messages sent at 10.28pm GMT on Tuesday, Pham Thi Tra told her mother, 'I love you so much...I'm sorry.' Pictured, The screenshot of Tra My's last text

In text messages sent at 10.28pm GMT on Tuesday, Pham Thi Tra told her mother, 'I love you so much...I'm sorry.' Pictured, The screenshot of Tra My's last text

The human rights worker added that migrants are told they can vast amounts of money by moving to the UK, and the 26-year-old may have been convinced to purchase a 'VIP ticket' to get there.

He family mortgaged the house to get that money for her, the human rights worked added.

Pham Thi Tra's last text messages were sent at 10.28pm BST on Tuesday - two hours before the truck reached the UK, as it was en route from Belgium.

She told her mother: 'I'm sorry Mum. My journey abroad hasn't succeeded. Mum, I love you so much. I'm dying because I can't breathe.'

Tra My's brother told the BBC on Friday that his sister had told them not to contact her because 'the organisers' did not allow her to receive calls.

He said she flew to China from her home in Can Lộc, a rural district of Hà Tĩnh Province in Vietnam, then left for France and initially attempted to cross the border into the UK on October 19, but 'got caught' and turned back.

Pham Van Thin (right) and Nguyen Thi Phong (left), father and mother of Tra My. They told CNN it was 'very painful' to receive the text - saying she must have known she was going to die when she sent it

Pham Van Thin (right) and Nguyen Thi Phong (left), father and mother of Tra My. They told CNN it was 'very painful' to receive the text - saying she must have known she was going to die when she sent it

 
Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, planned to work in a nail salon when he got to Britain

Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, planned to work in a nail salon when he got to Britain

A 20-year-old man from an impoverished Vietnamese province with dreams of a better life in Britain

Another of the suspected victims was revealed to be Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20.

His father Nguyen Dinh Gia said his son told him two weeks ago he planned to travel to Britain from France, where he had been living illegally since 2018.

He said he would pay $14,000 for the journey and planned to work in a nail salon when he got to Britain.

But Gia got a call several days ago from a Vietnamese man saying 'Please have some sympathy, something unexpected happened,' he told AFP.

'I fell to the ground when I heard that,' Gia told AFP.

'It seemed that he was in the truck with the accident, all of them dead,' he added.

His father told The Associated Press he had not been able to reach him since last week. He had said he would join a group in Paris that was trying to reach England.

'He often called home but I haven't been able to reach him since the last time we talked last week,' Nguyen Dinh Gia said. 'I told him that he could go to anywhere he wants as long as it's safe. He shouldn't worry about money, I'll take care of it.'

He said his son left home in central Ha Tinh province to work in Russia in 2017, then on to Ukraine. In April 2018, he arrived in Germany then traveled to France. He told his family that he wanted to go to the UK.

Luong's older brother, Pham Dinh Hai, said that Luong had a tattoo of praying hands on a cross on his right shoulder. The family said they shared the information with local authorities.

 Luong is also from Ha Tinh.

His father Nguyen Dinh Gia told The Associated Press he had not been able to reach him since last week. He had said Luong (pictured) would join a group in Paris that was trying to reach England

His father Nguyen Dinh Gia told The Associated Press he had not been able to reach him since last week. He had said Luong (pictured) would join a group in Paris that was trying to reach England

Luong's older brother, Pham Dinh Hai, said that Luong had a tattoo of praying hands on a cross on his right shoulder. The family said they shared the information with local authorities. Pictured: Nguyen Thi Huan, Luong's mother

Luong's older brother, Pham Dinh Hai, said that Luong had a tattoo of praying hands on a cross on his right shoulder. The family said they shared the information with local authorities. Pictured: Nguyen Thi Huan, Luong's mother

Gia (pictured) said his son left home in central Ha Tinh province to work in Russia in 2017, then on to Ukraine. In April 2018, he arrived in Germany then traveled to France. He told his family that he wanted to go to the UK

Gia (pictured) said his son left home in central Ha Tinh province to work in Russia in 2017, then on to Ukraine. In April 2018, he arrived in Germany then traveled to France. He told his family that he wanted to go to the UK

A portrait of Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, is kept on a prayer altar inside his home in Can Loc district, Ha Tinh Province

A portrait of Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, is kept on a prayer altar inside his home in Can Loc district, Ha Tinh Province

 
One of the newly named suspected victims, Nguyen Dinh Tu

One of the newly named suspected victims, Nguyen Dinh Tu

His wife is left with debts to the tune of £11,000 after his tragic crossing 

One of the newly named suspected victims, Nguyen Dinh Tu, had a few months ago asked his wife Hoang Thi Thuong to help him raise £11,000 ($14,000) to cover the cost of an illicit trip from Germany to the United Kingdom.

Ms Hoang revealed he had been working illegally in Romania and Germany and had begged her for money to get to the UK. 

'I lost contact with him on October 21,' Thuong said with tears in her eyes. 'I have a big debt to pay, no hope, and no energy to do anything'.

Tu's father said relatives in the United Kingdom had told him that Tu was inside the truck, and had been planning to pick him up.

'They were supposed to pick him up at the drop-off point but they called and said Tu was in that truck,' Tu's father, Nguyen Dinh Sat, said.

'I haven't heard anything from my son'.

Tu had a few months ago asked his wife Hoang Thi Thuong (pictured with her son) to help him raise £11,000 ($14,000) to cover the cost of an illicit trip from Germany to the United Kingdom

Tu had a few months ago asked his wife Hoang Thi Thuong (pictured with her son) to help him raise £11,000 ($14,000) to cover the cost of an illicit trip from Germany to the United Kingdom

Ms Hoang (right) cries as her mother holds her son Nguyen Dinh Dan

Ms Hoang (right) cries as her mother holds her son Nguyen Dinh Dan

 
Father-of-two Vo Ngoc Nam, 28, is also feared to have been in the ill-fated container

Father-of-two Vo Ngoc Nam, 28, is also feared to have been in the ill-fated container

A father-of-two who asked his family to pray for his safe journey to Britain

Father-of-two Vo Ngoc Nam, 28, is also feared to have been in the ill-fated container.

His wife, Ta Thi Oanh, told Vietnamese media that he had called her last Tuesday afternoon to say he was on the truck going to Britain.

He asked her to call her parents and ask them to pray for him, but has not been heard of since. 

Mr Nam's father, Vo Ngoc Luyen, said: 'After reading information about the 39 people in the container in the UK, my family is extremely shocked. We are anxiously waiting for official information from the authorities.'

Nam is believed to have travelled to Romania, before Germany and France, to find work. The local report described the family situation as 'difficult'. 

 

An aunt's plea for information about her nephews, who she fears were both in the container    

Cousins Hung Nguyen, 33, and Hoang Van Tiep were both feared to be in the container. 

Their aunt posted photographs on social media in the hope that they might be found alive.

Cousins Hung Nguyen, 33,  and Hoang Van Tiep (pictured) were both feared to be in the container
Their aunt posted photographs on social media in the hope that they might be found alive. Pictured: Hung Nguyen

Cousins Hung Nguyen, 33, (right) and Hoang Van Tiep (left) were both feared to be in the container

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