Trial starts in Belgium over migrant truck deaths in UK

The bodies of the 39 migrants were discovered on October 23, 2019, in a refrigerated truck in the county of Essex in the south of England, Xinhua news agency reported. 

The truck had left the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium on October 22, 2019. 

The ensuing investigation led police to identify a people-smuggling ring allegedly led by 45-year-old Vo Van Hong, who had rented a house in Anderlecht, Belgium, where the victims would stay until they could be transported. 

Four members of the ring were handed heavy sentences in the United Kingdom in January 2021, and seven other men were put on trial in Vietnam for their alleged involvement. 

Prosecutors are seeking prison terms from 18 months to 15 years for the defendants.