REPORTS ARE coming in this afternoon of up to 16 people, believed to be migrants, found alive in a refrigerated truck on a ferry heading to Ireland.
It is believed that a staff member on board the ferry made the discovery at about 9.20am this morning after the people within the truck were heard banging on the walls.
The group of people are all males between the ages of 20 and 40, and are believed to have travelled from Belgium about five days ago, according to RTÉ.
While their nationalities are not yet known, it is believed the men may be from Asia.
The Stena ferry is currently travelling from France to Rosslare in County Wexford and will be met by gardaí and emergency services when it docks at the scheduled time of 3pm.
According to reports, the people involved are in relatively good health and were brought to the lounge area of the commercial ferry where they are being attended to.
The discovery comes at a time of heightened awareness surrounding smuggling and human trafficking after 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Essex last month.
Recently we spoke to the former Independent Anti-Slavery Commission Kevin Hyland on human trafficking in Ireland and what the government can do to combat it-- you can read it here.
