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Irish police launched a human trafficking investigation on January 10 after 14 illegal immigrants, including three Vietnamese, were found inside a refrigerated container at the port of Rosslare.
Rosslare Port in Ireland, where 14 illegal immigrants were found hiding in a refrigerated container - Photo: IRISH INDEPENDENT
According to AFP news agency, Irish police said British authorities had informed their Irish colleagues in advance after a migrant raised the alarm before the ship docked.
All 14 illegal immigrants - nine men, three women and two girls - were found to be in good health after undergoing medical examinations. The nationalities of the illegal immigrants have not been officially announced.
However, RTE television and newspapersIrish IndependentMost of the victims were Kurds from Iran and Iraq, the report said. Three were also from Vietnam and one from Türkiye.
The 14 people were found when a refrigerated container truck was detained by police and forced off a ferry departing from Zeebrugge in Belgium on January 8.
Rosslare seaport handles passengers and cargo from the UK and Europe, with particular connections to France and Spain.
Irish Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told reporters he was relieved the migrants were safe after spending more than 24 hours in the refrigerated container.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Dublin would consider processing any potential asylum applications as quickly as possible, insisting that the country's "first response is always a humanitarian one".
Speaking to RTE, the chairman of the Road Haulage Association of Ireland, Eugene Drennan, said the container had been loaded onto a lorry south of Paris before being transported to Zeebrugge. He described it as a “terrible situation” that could have resulted in death.
According to Tuoi Tre