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A family member looks at an image of a Vietnamese girl suspected of being among the victims found in the truck near London at her home in Nghe An province, Vietnam, on October 26, 2019. REUTERS / Kham

So far, 24 families from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces have filed requests with the authorities to help them search for their missing relatives. Vietnamese police have started taking DNA samples to help identify them. On the spot, the families wait in anguish.

With our correspondent in Ho Chi Minh City, Frederic Black

In the villages from which the victims would be born, the hour is long and unbearable. " It's a disaster for our community, " said the priest of a parish.

On the spot, many families are plunged in anguish. Some received frightening messages from their loved ones, such as the message of a 26-year-old Vietnamese girl who seems to say good-bye to her family: " Dad, mom, I'm sorry. I have not succeeded, I can not breathe, I love you. "

Other families, equally desperate, have received no news. " We are very sad and anxious, " said a brother who fears for his 19-year-old sister. The mother, sitting in front of a portrait of the teenager, is crying, hoping for news of her missing daughter.

Most people in this village know someone who has tried their luck abroad. Many are seduced by the promise of making a lot of money in Britain, but the reality is often very different. They often end up in debt and are exploited by criminal networks.

A few months ago, a 27-year-old man asked his wife to help him raise 13,000 euros to cover the cost of an illegal trip. The latter, desperate, says she has not heard from her since her attempt to cross.

The tragedy hit those families hard. However, it is not certain that it is enough to dissuade other young people of this province, among the poorest of Vietnam, to try the same trip.

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