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.
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
5th August 2022 
