The cause of a fire which burned a former mill to the ground and led to the discovery of four Vietnamese nationals is still yet to be determined, an inquest has heard. Uoc Van Nguyen, Cuong Van Chu, Duong Van Nguyen and Nam Thanh Lee were all formally identified following the tragedy at the derelict Bismark House Mill.
A fire broke out at the mill in Oldham on May 7 last year and took four days for the fire service to bring under control. The human remains were then first discovered by demolition workers on July 23 with a complex investigation to identify the individuals begun.
A part-heard inquest hearing at Rochdale Coroners' Court today (June 9) heard details of how each individual was identified, using DNA testing, evidence from forensic anthropologists, and forensic odonatologists. Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley told the court that the search undertaken of the site was "extremely complex" and "difficult," but was as thorough as it could be.
