Belgium opens truck deaths trial

Facing the law: Some of the 23 defendants at the opening of the trial in Bruges. — AFP

Two years after 39 Vietnamese migrants died aboard a truck that travelled to Britain, Belgium opened the trial of 23 people suspected of involvement in the human-smuggling ring responsible.

The proceedings, in a courtroom in the city of Bruges, follow convictions handed down in Britain in January to seven men, several for manslaughter. They were given prison sentences ranging from three years to 27 years.