Brussels: According to Belgian media, 23 persons were put on trial in the Belgian city of Bruges, suspected of being involved in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in 2019.

According to a source, the bodies of the 39 migrants were discovered in a refrigerated truck on October 23, 2019, in the county of Essex in the south of England.

On October 22, 2019, the truck left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Following the inquiry, authorities discovered a people-smuggling network run by Vo Van Hong, 45, who had hired a property in Anderlecht, Belgium, where the victims would be housed until they could be relocated.

In January 2021, four members of the ring were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in the United Kingdom, while seven more individuals were put on trial in Vietnam for their suspected involvement. The suspects face prison sentences ranging from 18 months to 15 years, according to prosecutors.

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