Seven people in Vietnam charged over deaths of 39 migrants in Essex

Police in Vietnam have charged seven people in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found in a refrigerated trailer in the UK last October, state media said.

The suspects were charged with organising and brokering illegal emigration, the official Vietnam News Agency said.

It said an investigation showed they had helped 67 people travel illegally to European countries to work.

Vietnamese police also asked the government to seek Interpol's help in issuing a Red Notice for the arrest of one of the suspects who is living in China, the news agency reported.

It said the investigation into the case was continuing.

The bodies of 39 people were found on October 23 at an industrial estate in Grays, Essex.

Police said the victims were all from Vietnam and were between the ages of 15 and 44.

The 31 men and eight women are believed to have paid people traffickers for their transit to England.

Police said they died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space.

Several people have been charged in the UK with manslaughter or assisting in illegal immigration.