Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: VNA

In a statement on late Friday, Essex police said the confirmatory evidence needed to formally present cases to HM Senior Coroner for her consideration has not yet been obtained. Essex police will continue to cooperate closely with the Vietnamese Government, and others, to identify the victims and offer support to all those affected by this tragedy.

After the UK police’s announcement on late Friday that the victims in the Essex lorry case are thought to be Vietnamese, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on early Saturday that this is a great humanitarian tragedy. “We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims over the huge loss," Hang said. “Vietnam strongly condemns human trafficking activities, which is a serious crime that needs to be strictly punished,” the spokesperson said, calling on countries in the region and the world to intensify cooperation to prevent and combat human trafficking, thus preventing the recurrence of similar tragedies. “We hope the UK side would early complete the investigation and strictly punish those who are responsible for the tragedy,” she said.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK also released a statement the same day expressing deep sadness at the initial findings by the Essex police that the victims who lost their lives in the refrigerated lorry on October 23 in Essex, UK, may be Vietnamese nationals. The Embassy of Vietnam in London will closely coordinate with the relevant authorities of Vietnam and UK to support the families of the Vietnamese victims, if any, to bring their loved ones home.

In his personal Twitter account, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed his deep sadness as it is confirmed that Vietnamese are among 39 victims of the Essex lorry death case. He said the Vietnamese government will work closely with the UK government and related agencies in this case.