Vietnamese government will advance the payment to bring back remains of 39 local people found dead in a lorry in Britain, a senior official of the country's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
The government has decided to make advance payments to make sure the victims are brought home as ashes or in coffins as soon as possible, Vietnam News Agency quoted Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son as saying on the sidelines of the top legislature's meeting.
Victims' families will repay the fee to the government later, Son said, adding that Vietnam is working with the British side on such technical issues as cremation procedures and flight arrangement, and that businesses wishing to fund the costs can work directly with local authorities and families.
The fee to bring ashes to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi city is 1,370 British pounds (1,771 U.S. dollars), while body repatriation in a zinc coffin costs up to 2,208 British pounds (2,854.5 U.S. dollars), the agency's affiliate Vietnam News quoted the foreign ministry as reporting on Wednesday.
All 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry in the British county of Essex in October were confirmed to be Vietnamese nationals. They had permanent residence in northern Hai Phong City, northern Hai Duong province and central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue, according to Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.
