Haunting messages received by mother of woman thought to be among 39 killed in Essex lorry tragedy

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers

The family of a woman feared to be among the 39 people found dead in a trailer in Essex have revealed the haunting messages sent to her mother.

Pham Thi Tra My, who is from Vietnam, is thought to have been one of the foreign nationals trapped in the trailer which sparked the UK's biggest murder probe since the 7/7 terror attack.

Her family says Ms My has a distinctive marking on her foot and are appealing for information from police with regard to her fate. Officers have not confirmed the identity of any people found dead in the back of the lorry.

In a series of short messages, she says:

"I'm sorry mum.

"My path abroad hasn’t succeeded.

"Mum, I love you so much! I'm dying because I can't breathe.

"I'm from Nghen, Can Loc, Ha Tinh. Vietnam.

"I am sorry, Mum."

The Vietnamese Embassy said staff will arrange a visit to site in a bid to identify victims after Vietnamese families said their loved ones may be among the deceased.

It continued: "The Embassy has not yet received any official confirmation from the British relevant agencies. The Embassy has continued to follow the event and worked closely with relevant British agencies to accelerate the investigation process."

Essex Police originally said on Wednesday that all 39 bodies were believed to be of Chinese origin.

The lorry was removed from the site earlier this week. Credit: PA

As well as the lorry's driver, three further people have been arrested in connection with the deaths.

Mo Robinson, the Northern Irish lorry driver detained in the early hours of Wednesday morning, remains in police custody.

A 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and suspicion of manslaughter. Essex Police said the man was arrested at London Stansted Airport.

A man and a woman, both 38-years-old, were arrested in early morning raids in Warrington, Cheshire on Friday morning.

A statement from Essex Police said: "We have carried out warrants in Cheshire as part of the investigation into 39 bodies being discovered in a lorry trailer in Grays .

"As a result, a 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 counts of manslaughter.

"A 25-year-old man, the driver of the lorry, remains in custody on suspicion of murder. A warrant of further detention was granted yesterday, Thursday 24 October, by local magistrates."

Police have appealed for people who believe they may have been trafficked to come forward to assist with the investigation.