Following the discovery of human remains, and a ‘major incident’ subsequently declared back on 25 July, the police force has issued a statement naming four Vietnamese nationals – Cuong Van Chu, Uoc Van Nguyen, Duong Van Nguyen, and Nam Thanh Le – who were all were reported missing to GMP on Thursday 21 July.
Images of each of the four men have also been released by GMP.
39-year-old Cuong was said to have arrived in the UK in June 2019, and maintained regular contact with his wife and children, but they have not heard from him since Saturday 7 May 2022, while Uoc (31) also maintained regular contact with his wife, but she too has not heard from him since the same date – at which time, he said he was in a mill.
GMP also revealed that 29-year-old Duong arrived in the UK approximately 12 months ago, and last contacted his family around three months ago, at which time he told them he was living in “an abandoned house” whilst looking for work.
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In a similar situation, Nam (21) arrived in the UK in January 2022, and last contacted his family on Wednesday 4 May 2022 to tell them he was residing in “a derelict house” in “Dam” – believed to be Oldham – whilst looking for work.
The images released by police of Cuong Van Chu, Uoc Van Nguyen, Duong Van Nguyen, and Nam Thanh Le / Credit: GMP
The names of the missing men have been released after GMP confirmed in a statement last month, that on Saturday 23 July 2022, human remains were discovered by demolition workers at Bismark House Mill, on Bower Street in Oldham.
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Since the discovery of the remains, detectives from GMP’s Oldham district and major incident team have confirmed that, on Saturday 7 May 2022, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) attended a fire at the premises – which was extinguished over four days – but at this time, it was not believed that anyone was inside the mill.
Specialists have since confirmed the recovery of remains of three victims, although they have not yet been formally identified.
The fire captured blazing through Bismark House Mill on Saturday 7 May 2022 / Credit: GMFRS
“We are continuing to search Bismark House Mill to ensure the recovery of all human remains and any objects of significance. Meanwhile, the investigation team is following several lines of enquiry relating to the fire and activities at the mill beforehand,” explained Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes.
“Though we have reason to suspect that Cuong, Uoc, Duong and Nam may have been in the mill during the fire, we are keeping an open mind with regards to how many people were present and their whereabouts.
“I therefore appeal to them or anyone with information about their whereabouts before or after the fire to contact us, and I stress that their safety and welfare is our number one priority.
“We also continue to appeal for information about the fire or activities at the mill beforehand.”
Anyone with information should submit it via the Major Incident Public Portal here, or call should make contact via 0161 856 0055 quoting Operation Logan.
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Information can also be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
5th August 2022 
