LONDON, Aug 14, 2022 (AFP): UK police Saturday evening (Aug 13) identified human remains found following a fire at a disused mill in northern England three months ago as one of the four Vietnamese men missing since the blaze.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) identified one of the three sets of remains as belonging to 31-year-old Uoc Van Nguyen.
The building in Oldham, near Manchester, was damaged beyond repair after the May 7 fire, and demolition workers found the remains of at least three victims on July 23.
Police last week released the names of four Vietnamese men who have been missing since the blaze.
They said that Uoc Van Nguyen had been in regular contact with his wife, telling her he was in a mill.
"I send condolences to Uoc's wife and his loved ones," said Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, GMP's victim identification lead.
"Inquiries are ongoing to establish why Uoc and other, currently unidentified, individuals were in the mill during the fire."
The other missing men include Cuong Van Chu, 39, who arrived in Britain in June 2019 and had maintained regular contact with his wife and children until May 7.
Duong Van Nguyen, 29, last contacted his family about three months ago, when he said he was living in an "abandoned house" and looking for work.
Nam Thanh Le, 21, arrived in Britain in January and last contacted his family on May 4 when he said he was living in a derelict house in "Dam", believed to be Oldham.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the mill site was suspected of being used as a cannabis farm.
In October 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese migrants including two 15-year-old boys were discovered inside a sealed lorry at a port near London.
The victims suffocated in the truck's container as they were being transported to what they hoped would be new lives in Britain.
Several men involved in the pan-European people-smuggling operation have been jailed in Britain, one for 27 years.
Another 18 people have been convicted in connection with the case in Belgium, while others face trial in France. - AFP
