19 suspects go on trial in Paris in deaths of 39 migrants who suffocated in a truck in 2019

PARIS (AP) — A trial has opened in Paris of 19 people suspected of playing critical roles in a smuggling operation that went awry and sent 39 Vietnamese migrants to their deaths four years ago when they were locked inside a stifling hot truck. The truck was headed from Belgium to Britain and was found in Britain on Oct. 23, 2019. Courts in those two countries already have convicted 23 people in the case. Most of the people facing justice in Paris are French helpers in a highly structured network and are charged with aiding migrants’ illegal entry and stay. Four Vietnamese are also charged with manslaughter. .