The fire was extinguished by the fire service over the course of four days, with no one believed to be inside the mill at this time – however, demolition workers discovered human remains on Saturday 23 July 2022, and so, the search began.
The four men – aged between 21 and 39 – were all were reported missing to GMP on Thursday 21 July 2022, and were later identified, matched with the remains found, and publicly named.
Police arrest man on suspicion of manslaughter over Oldham mill fire deaths / Credit: GMFRS | GMP
Now, over a year since the fire, GMP has confirmed that yesterday (11 May), detectives investigating the deaths made one arrest and completed a number of searches during warrants executed at five residential properties and two commercial premises in Oldham and the Ashton area of Tameside.
ADVERTISEMENT
A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of Manslaughter, Cultivation of Cannabis, and Participation in the Activities of an OCG, and remains in custody for questioning.
Two other individuals arrested previously also remain on bail.
ADVERTISEMENT
#ARREST | Detectives investigating the deaths of four Vietnamese nationals at Bismark House Mill make an arrest.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 11, 2023
“Though a year has passed since the fire, and nine months since the discovery of these men’s remains, the criminal investigation is still very much open,” explains Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Davies.
“Behind the scenes, a team of detectives have been speaking to witnesses and reviewing evidence – leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to find answers for the bereaved.
“We are really thankful to those who have assisted us with our enquiries so far, but know that it is highly likely there are others out there who have information about how these men ended up in Bismark House Mill, about activity at the mill in the weeks before the fire and about the fire itself.
ADVERTISEMENT
“As we continue to do all we can, I appeal to anyone with information to contact us directly or anonymously.”
The images released by police of Cuong Van Chu, Uoc Van Nguyen, Duong Van Nguyen, and Nam Thanh Le / Credit: GMP
GMP and His Majesty’s Coroner say they are continuing to work with partner agencies to “complete the formal identification process” and “organise repatriation”.
Anyone with information should contact Greater Manchester Police via 101, or if you would like to remain anonymous, you can get in touch with independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
International callers can contact GMP via +44161 872 5050.
Featured Image – GMFRS
News
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 -
12th May 2023 
