A total of eight migrants discovered “hiding” on board a cargo ship at a port near Waterford city on Wednesday are likely to be sent back to France in the coming days.
The discovery, reports The Irish Times, was made by the crew of a “bulk cargo ship” that was travelling from St Nazaire in France to Belview Port. Three men fled the ship after being discovered, but were apprehended by gardaí a short time later.
A garda spokesman said the eight migrants, all believed to be adult males from Albania, were found to be in good health.
“Gardaí in Waterford were alerted to an incident today, Wednesday 4th December 2019, in Belview, Co Waterford where eight males were discovered by the crew in hiding on a bulk cargo ship travelling from France to Ireland,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“Garda immigration officers attached to Waterford Garda station are currently dealing with the males and they will be processed under the immigration law.”
The eight men are are believed to have stowed away on board the bulk carrier at St Nazaire before it sailed to Belview Port, where it arrived at around 9am on Wednesday. Port officials alerted gardaí to the presence of the stowaways.
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