Thirty-nine Vietnamese people were found dead inside a refrigerated trailer in Essex, north-east of London, last October. (Photo: xinhua/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Thirty-nine Vietnamese people found dead inside arefrigerated trailer in Essex, north-east of London, last October, died ofhypoxia (oxygen deprivation) and hyperthermia (overheating) in an enclosedspace, British police said on February 11.
Britishpolice revealed the provisional autopsy results while they are pushing aheadwith investigation and identification of suspects.
“Ourteams are continuing to progress hundreds of lines of enquiry and are workingwith the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies from acrossthe globe to further their lengthy and complex investigation,’’ Essex countypolice said in a statement.
GheorgheNica of Basildon in eastern England, was detained in Germany’s Frankfurtairport on January 29. At a trial in Chelmsford, the UK, on February 1, the43-year-old was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and one count ofconspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
Asecond man, who is 22, was arrested in Northern Ireland on February 2 onsuspicion of manslaughter and facilitating unlawful immigration. He remains inpolice custody in southeast England but has not been charged or named yet.
Anothersuspect from Northern Ireland, Eamonn Harrison, 23, is being held in Ireland oncharges of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. He has a Dublin HighCourt hearing scheduled for February 12.
Prosecutorsallege that Harrison drove the container to the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium,where it was put on a ferry to England and picked up at the other end byMaurice Robinson Robinson, who also is from Northern Ireland and has beencharged with manslaughter.
Harrison’slawyers have argued that the UK should not be able to seek his extradition fromIreland because the alleged offenses took place in Belgium./.
VNA
