HANOI, Nov. 7 (CGTN) -- All 39 people found dead in the truck in the UK on October 23 have been confirmed as Vietnamese, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.
The victims came from six provinces in Vietnam – Haiphong, Hai Duong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Hue – Reuters reported on Thursday citing local authorities.
On the same day, Vietnam's foreign ministry's deputy spokesperson Ngo Toan Thang said at a press conference that at least nine suspects have been arrested in Nghe An Province in connection with organized human trafficking.
On November 1, police from central Vietnam's Ha Tinh Province arrested two individuals on suspicion of "organizing and introducing illegal smuggling and detention of Vietnamese nationals."
A delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security have been working with British authorities to identify the victims in the Essex truck case.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry described the deaths as a grave humanitarian tragedy.