39 people found dead in trailer in UK

No Bills

The timeline (gathered from various media reports) for the victims' journey in the refrigerated trailer seems to be something like this: They got into the trailer at 07.30am on Tuesday the 22nd, the trailer was driven to Zeebrugge, the trailer was eventually loaded onto a ship which departed at 16.30 on Tue 22nd. The ship arrived at Purfleet after midnight (now Wed 23rd). The trailer was collected at around 01.00am and driven a short distance (about 3kms) to the place where the trailer was opened and the 39 people were found dead at 01.40.

micar

No Bills wrote: »

The trailer was collected at around 01.00am and driven a short distance (about 3kms) to the place where the trailer was opened and the 39 people were found dead at 01.40.

From what has been released, it was the driver of the lorry who called the police.

I don't get what prompted the driver of the lorry to stop on the side of the road to then open the back up.

jay0109

micar wrote: »

From what has been released, it was the driver of the lorry who called the police.

I don't get what prompted the driver of the lorry to stop on the side of the road to then open the back up.

Perhaps that's where he planned to let them out? Maybe there was someone else there with other transport to move them on to their final destination?
Why was he opening the lorry at 1.40am in a deserted industrial estate?

RandomName2

Horrific way to die. This is a really gruesome and troubling event.

There's a couple of pressing questions.

• What is the nature of the organized syndicate working in England/Ireland?
• Where did the lorry actually originate from? The trafficked individuals were from the far east - presumably they couldn't have been travelling in this truck from Asia, right?
• How long have operations of this sort been going on? Have there been any previous fatalities that went unreported or were by some means covered up by the criminals in question?
• What was the plan for when the trafficked individuals reached England (did they even know the truck was bound for England?) Were they going to be put into positions of effectively slavery, or did they have family connections through which to find accommodation and work?

Allinall

Charles Babbage wrote: »

Of course it matters if they are dead. But these people did not choose to break the law out of some absolute necessity, but because it suited their lifestyle.

How do you know that?

Quantum Erasure

don't know if this was posted on the thread already

Last text of woman feared among 39 dead in Essex lorry trailer revealed

Hoa Nghiem, a Hanoi-based activist with Human Rights Space, shared a screenshot and a translation of the message, which read: “I’m sorry Mom. My path to abroad doesn’t succeed. Mom, I love you so much! I’m dying bcoz I can’t breath... I’m from Nghen, Can Loc, Ha Tinh, Vietnam... I am sorry, Mom”.

The text was sent at 4.28am on Wednesday in Vietnam, the screenshot shows. In Britain that was 10.28pm, at which time the trailer was in transit between Zebrugge and Purrfleet.

Also, 'Smugglers have returned deposits paid by families of suspected victims, according to the BBC.' which is surprising, to say the least

here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788

The BBC also knows of two other Vietnamese nationals who are missing - a 26-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman.

The brother of the 19-year-old said his sister called him at 07:20 Belgian local time (06:20 BST) on Tuesday, saying she was getting into a container and was turning off her phone to avoid detection.

He has not heard from her since.

He said a people smuggler returned money to the family overnight, and the family of the 26-year-old who she was travelling with also received money back.

FrancieBrady

RandomName2 wrote: »

Horrific way to die. This is a really gruesome and troubling event.

There's a couple of pressing questions.

• What is the nature of the organized syndicate working in England/Ireland?
• Where did the lorry actually originate from? The trafficked individuals were from the far east - presumably they couldn't have been travelling in this truck from Asia, right?
• How long have operations of this sort been going on? Have there been any previous fatalities that went unreported or were by some means covered up by the criminals in question?
• What was the plan for when the trafficked individuals reached England (did they even know the truck was bound for England?) Were they going to be put into positions of effectively slavery, or did they have family connections through which to find accommodation and work?

There were reports that they flew into Europe somewhere.

Your other questions are unknowable's and may never be known.

buttercups88

Some very gruesome reading here but seems to have detailed time line

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/migrants-left-bloodied-handprints-essex-17150533

lola85

Likeabossboss wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but why didn’t they just fly in? There’s no legal barriers to fly from Vietnam to the UK bar a holiday Visa.

Was it that they were arrested in their home country or previously outstayed their holiday visa in the UK or what?

Good question

B.A._Baracus

The more I hear about this the more it's sad.
Like trafficking people. Say it costs 8,000 pound to come over. You will have to "work" to pay your debt back.

You'll never pay your debt back. Like if you are a woman youll be told promises of a better life earning more money. Money to send back home. Then be thrown into prostitution. Being sold around.

Some really horrifying documentaries and articles out there. There really is scum in this world and it happens under everyone's nose.

NaiveMelodies

This is so tragic. The texts from the Vietnamese girl to her family are heartbreaking. It's just so sad that people's dreams of a 'better life' are so cruelly exploited by others.

lola85

NaiveMelodies wrote: »

Assuming he was the one who called, he mentioned a figure of 25 people.

If you open the back of one of these fridge containers, do you get a good view of the whole container and it's contents? I could be wrong here but I don't think you do.
If he opens the door to be greeted by dead bodies does he really jump up and start counting? Do emergency services ask him to get a count? Or did he know what the cargo was and is that where the '25 people' estimate resulted from?

This is also a bit of a ridiculous point admittedly but his house is a very impressive property for anyone, let alone a couple in their mid twenties. It looks like it's newly renovated to a very high standard. Again, ridiculous, but I can't help wondering if this could have been achieved with two twenty somethings legitimate salaries.

I'm aware the above is completely frivolous and apologies if it comes across poorly.

This is so tragic. The texts from the Vietnamese girl to her family are heartbreaking. It's just so sad that people's dreams of a 'better life' are so cruelly exploited by others.

I’d take that link with a pinch of salt.

He’s still in custody.

Everyone suddenly a detective here.

nc6000

Just read the BBC article and thought the details at the end looked odd, should they not be advising people with information to contact the UK police?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788

Do you have any information to share about the incident? If it is safe for you to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
Upload your pictures / video here
Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100

easypazz

nc6000 wrote: »

Just read the BBC article and thought the details at the end looked odd, should they not be advising people with information to contact the UK police?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788

Do you have any information to share about the incident? If it is safe for you to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
Upload your pictures / video here
Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100

Presumably looking for people to do an interview with them where the face is covered and the voice muffled to avoid identity.

IRE60

easypazz wrote: »

Presumably looking for people to do an interview with them where the face is covered and the voice muffled to avoid identity.

Section 31!

glenfieldman

buttercups88 wrote: »

Some very gruesome reading here but seems to have detailed time line

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/migrants-left-bloodied-handprints-essex-17150533

That Dublinlive **** site should be ashamed for that article
Thats worse than the Sun would contrive

gozunda

NaiveMelodies wrote: »

Assuming he was the one who called, he mentioned a figure of 25 people.

....

I'm aware the above is completely frivolous and apologies if it comes across poorly.

This is so tragic. The texts from the Vietnamese girl to her family are heartbreaking. It's just so sad that people's dreams of a 'better life' are so cruelly exploited by others.

Not particularly helpful to jump to conclusions at this stage. The house they showed is a old property and a gate lodge on the way from Armagh. It was done up in recent years afaik. I also think it's a rented property. As for the number of people in the container - the emergency services when contacted could have asked him for an estimate - either way it was probably a guess from whomever was first at the scene. I wouldnt like to be the young lad one way or the other - whether he was being used or even he knows more than he is saying.

biko

Seems to be Chinese traffickers behind it, unless I've missed some twist
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horrifying-rise-mother-snakeheads-behind-20721217

Wikipedia

Snakeheads (Chinese: 蛇头; pinyin: shé tóu; Hokkien: chôa-thâu) are Chinese gangs that smuggle people to other countries. They are found in the Fujian region of China and smuggle their customers into wealthier Western countries such as those in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and some nearby wealthier regions such as Taiwan and Japan.

NaiveMelodies

gozunda wrote: »

Not particularly helpful to jump to conclusions at this stage. The house they showed is a old property and a gate lodge on the way from Armagh. It was done up in recent years afaik. I also think it's a rented property. As for the number of people in the container - the emergency services when contacted could have asked him for an estimate - either way it was probably a guess from whomever was first at the scene. I wouldnt like to be the young lad one eay or the other - whether he was being used or even he knows more than he is saying.

You're right.. have edited the nonsense out of ny post.

Bazzy

FrancieBrady wrote: »

4th man arrested at Stansted Airport...doing a runner?

He's from northern ireland so hes either very very stupid and flew from the north to london to make an onward journey

or is innocent and was coming over to help with the case my guess is he leased the tralier

celt262

Bazzy wrote: »

He's from northern ireland so hes either very very stupid and flew from the north to london to make an onward journey

or is innocent and was coming over to help with the case my guess is he leased the tralier

Or was already in England and was trying to get away.

easypazz

Irish couple involved according to the indo.

looks like slab and the crew have expanded from blowing people up, to diesel laundering, to mass murder.

ChikiChiki

biko wrote: »

Seems to be Chinese traffickers behind it, unless I've missed some twist
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horrifying-rise-mother-snakeheads-behind-20721217

Wikipedia

If reports on the swift return of the money to families are true then I would say that's likely.

macadam

4 people in Custody and all from the island of Ireland!!!

prunudo

In regarding the 'return' of the money. I wonder if there is something lost in translation and its more that its a debt that no longer exists. Maybe they didn't pay the money up front but instead either the family had to pay over time or the immigrant was to be held as a slave to work off the debt.

FrancieBrady

They have the driver who delivered trailer to Zeebruger on CCTV, searching for him now.

Calypso Realm

FrancieBrady wrote: »

They have the driver who delivered trailer to Zeebruger on CCTV, searching for him now.

Yes, I've always thought it ludicrous Mo R was charged with murder since all indications pointed to the fact the victims were already dead by the time he collected the container at the port.

Latest Sky News is that police have until tomorrow am to charge or release him.

FrancieBrady

Calypso Realm wrote: »

Yes, I've always thought it ludicrous Mo R was charged with murder since all indications pointed to the fact the victims were already dead by the time he collected the container at the port.

Latest Sky News is that police have until tomorrow am to charge or release him.

He was arrested on 'suspicion' of murder. And if he is involved with the shipment I think he will be charged with it. I hope anyone involved with it is, actually. Probably downgraded to accessory to murder though or manslaughter.

Boggles

4 days to charge or release him, so early Sunday morning by my maths.

Bobblehats

macadam wrote: »

4 people in Custody and all from the island of Ireland!!!

Is it any surprise?!...profiteering aside why; oh why are irish people so aggressively actively engaged in trafficking people toward these shores