Eight Arrested in Vietnam Over Deaths of 39 Migrants

The Vietnamese police have arrested eight more individuals as part of the investigation into the mass deaths of migrants in the United Kingdom, local publication VnExpress reports.

On October 23, police in Essex County, England, discovered 39 bodies inside a truck that had arrived in the UK from Belgium. A week later, authorities reported that all of the deceased were Vietnamese citizens.

The eight individuals were arrested on Sunday in Nghe An province on suspicion of involvement in organizing the trafficking network for illegal migrants. It has been noted that 21 residents from this region went missing in the UK between April and August.

Provincial authorities are collecting DNA samples from the relatives of the missing individuals for identification of the Essex tragedy victims.

Last week, Vietnamese police also arrested two people in Ha Tinh province in connection with the investigation into the Essex case. In the UK, five people have been arrested on suspicion of complicity in the killings, including the truck driver, 25-year-old Maurice Robinson from Northern Ireland. Three of those arrested later were released on bail.

Court hearings regarding Robinson's case are set to begin on November 25.