A Vietnamese catholic priest who made four attempts to come to Britain has told Sky News he saw people shot dead by security services on one of his failed attempts.
On his third try, Father Yen Duc Vu, who now lives in Birmingham, was already in his boat on a river ready to head to the sea when security services, who had uncovered the plan and were determined to stop people leaving, opened fire.
Some people were shot and killed on one of several boats taking people out of Vietnam, he said, while others drowned after jumping into the water to escape.
The experience still affects him years later.
Father Vu said he feels "sad" about the deaths of 39 people whose bodies were found in the back of a truck in Essex on Wednesday.
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"When you see they had such a hard journey and it ends in loneliness… in dying alone."
He said they would have known in "every moment" that "death was coming, it would've been very sad".
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None of the identities of the victims have been confirmed, but it is thought some were from Vietnam and may have been travelling in a convoy of three vehicles.
Three people, Anna Bui Thi Nhung, Nguyen Dinh Tu and Tra My, all from the country, are believed to be among those in the lorry.
