Essex lorry deaths: Seven face trafficking charges in Vietnam

Seven people in Vietnam have been charged in connection with the deaths of 39 people who were found in a lorry container in Essex, according to Vietnamese state media.

The charges include organising and brokering illegal emigration for helping 67 people travel illegally from Vietnam to Europe, according to Vietnam News Agency.

It added that the government had appealed to Interpol to issue a Red Notice for another suspect who is currently in China.

The 39 bodies, all believed to be Vietnamese migrants aged between 15 and 44, were found in the back of the lorry container in an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, last October.

They are believed to have paid traffickers to get them to England in order to begin new lives, but died in the back of the vehicle due to a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space.

Three people in the UK have since been charged with manslaughter in connection with the case, including the 25-year-old driver of the lorry Maurice 'Mo' Robinson .