Vietnamese families who are suspecting that their relatives may be among the 39 found dead in an Essex lorry on Wednesday last week. The outpouring of despair came after the emergence of images showing migrants trying to gasp for air in a yet-to-be-identified trailer.
The family of Le Van Ha, who is believed to have died in the frozen trailer discovered in Essex, is waiting for news regarding the identification of the dead bodies. According to BBC, the family was hoping Le Van Ha would help solve their financial issues.
The outlet reported that if Le Van Ha was among those who traveled and died in the trailer, he could have paid human traffickers £20,000 for the ill-fated journey. His family revealed that the money used for his trip to the United Kingdom was collected by mortgaging two plots of land.
Le Van Ha isn't the only Vietnamese migrant believed to have perished in the Essex lorry. 19-year-old Bui Thi Nhung's potential death in the trailer has yet to be revealed. Her sister said Bui Thi said on October 21, two days before the bodies were found, that she was "in storge."
Bui Thi's exchange of Facebook messages with her sister is what the family relies on for hope. The family said nothing has been confirmed yet but they know "there were three different lorries going to England that time."
On Saturday, images taken by a motorist on the motorway near Heathrow showed weary migrants inside a lorry's trailer. The motorist who took the photos told the Mirror that it appeared the people inside the trailer were crammed.
The images showed multiple people inside a trailer trying to flag down other motorists as they gasped for air. The driver said he could not confirm how many people were inside the trailer but that it "was a strange sight."
Multiple outlets confirmed over the weekend that three people arrested in connection to the Essex lorry deaths have been released on bail. The bailed persons of interest include haulage owner Thomas Maher and his wife, Joanna Maher.
An Essex Police spokesperson said the couple has been released on bail until November 11 while the other person, a 45-year-old man from Northern Ireland, was released on bail until November 13, The Sun reported.
The lorry driver, Maurice "Mo" Robinson, has been charged for the deaths of all 39 discovered in the trailer. Robinson is set to appear before the Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday.
The identities of the perished migrants have yet to be confirmed and released to the public. It was initially believed that all 39 were Chinese nationals.
