The 39 migrants who died inside a lorry trailer in Essex, England, have formally been identified on Thursday, and the local authorities said the formal identification will help the police and other involved investigators to solidify collaborative probes with the Vietnamese police.
According to The Guardian, senior officer in charge of the inquiry in Essex, Tim Smith, noted that the identification of all 39 victims was "an important step" in hopefully tracking down those responsible of the people-smuggling tragedy as well as in supporting the families of the dead.
Smith noted that no further information will be released to the public in respect of the Vietnamese families who have just received news of the recent developments in the case.
Vietnam's Nghe An province police chief, Nguyen Huu Cau, said the priority for both parties at this point should be to bring the bodies back to Vietnam so the bereaved families can grieve properly.
Nguyen added that the local police will continue to work on investigations to hopefully break up the smuggling rings in the country that deal with getting people inside the United Kingdom illegally.
While the Vietnamese police have arrested eight people in relation to the case, two people have been charged in Britain over the deaths of the Vietnamese migrants who traveled to the country in hopes of a better life.
Among the charged is lorry driver Maurice "Mo" Robinson, a Northern Ireland native, who was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and other cases related to human trafficking.
BBC reported that the victims, who were initially believed to be Chinese, hailed from different Vietnamese provinces including Quang Binh, Hai Duong, Hue, Ha Tinh, Haiphong, and Nghe An.
Before new details about the Essex lorry victims were revealed, the Church of the Holy Name and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in east London held services to honor the memory of the Vietnamese migrants.
Meanwhile, fifteen men were arrested in southwest England on Thursday on suspicion that they entered the U.K. without proper paperwork. The arrested men were found in the back of a truck that was driven by an Irish man.
According to CNN, Wiltshire Police said the arrested men were aged between 16 and 30, but their nationalities have yet to be confirmed. It remains to be seen whether the case is connected to the Essex lorry deaths and the alleged "global smuggling ring" that runs human trafficking between Vietnam and Britain.
Wiltshire superintendent, Steve Cox, noted that there will be increased interest in the latest arrests due to the recent tragedy that has led to what could be the biggest mass death investigation in the country.
