Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers: Heartbreaking Final Text Of Essex Lorry Victim Revealed

The last text message sent by one of the 39 Vietnamese migrants who tragically died in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Essex has come to light - and they're truly heartbreaking.

In a doc named Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers, which aired on BBC, the crimes of Ronan Hughes - the man who smuggled the Vietnamese men, women and children back in 2019, and ultimately killed them - were laid bare.

The 39 migrants, aged 14-44, tragically met their deaths after suffocating as they were transported across the channel.

Hughes packed double the amount of desperate migrants into his lorry than normal on the fateful night of their death, in a bid to pick up his £1million a month fee.

And the messages that one of them sent her mother as she suffocated while travelling across the channel were shown during the documentary.

BBC)

The late 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra My's mother revealed the message she received before her daughter passed, which read: "I love you so much. I am dying because I can't breathe."

She had paid $22,000 (£16,058) in order to secure a 'VIP' service into the UK - which her parents are still trying to pay off.

The documentary detailed the devastating story of how the migrants died, and the terror they felt in their final moments.

"So sorry Mum,' Pham Thi Tra My wrote to her mother in a message.

"My route to abroad does not succeed. Mum, I love you so much. I am dying because I can't breathe. Mum, I'm very sorry."

Pham Thi Tra My's mother said she was keen to move to the UK to work for a few years, and was keen to make it in the world of beauty.

"It took her ten days to get from Vietnam to China and another 1 to 2 days from China to France", said Pham Thi Tra My's mother.

BBC)

"She went there by airplane, it was so fast, then she called us to say she had arrived safely.

"We had to transfer her money when she got there the total we transferred to them to get Tra My to France was $22,000.

"We knew she was waiting to travel onwards but we didn't know what means of transport would be used. We only knew that she would be travelling in VIP class. I had no idea what VIP class mean. Only now do I know that it is to travel in VIP class."

"Her text message is still in my phone but I don't dare look at it," she added, recalling the final text she received.

"I don't dare to look at her pictures even once."

This is truly heartbreaking.

You can watch the documentary Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers on BBC iPlayer.

Joanna Freedman

Joanna has worked at Tyla for the last two years, and has a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches. Contact her at [email protected].

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