Two children among asylum seekers found on ferry bound for Ireland

The migrants are all understood to be of Kurdish ethnicity - 14 of them are men and the other two are boys.

The boys are currently in the care of TUSLA.

They were discovered after noise coming from the locked container tipped off staff.

Gardaí have now launched a major investigation with assistance from Interpol and police in three European countries, after the shock discovery yesterday of 16 men on a ferry travelling to Rosslare Europort from Cherbourg.

"Fourteen males are adult and have sought ‘international protection’. They will now be processed by the International Protection Office (IPO), an office within the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and are currently being accommodated by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA)," a garda spokesperson said.

"Two males are now believed to be Juveniles and are currently in the care of TUSLA. An Garda Síochána continue to carry out a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the discovery of the 16 males." the spokesperson added.

A staff member on the ferry was alerted when he heard movement in a trailer attached to a truck.

Staff of the ferry, with the assistance of the driver, opened the trailer unit and the 16 men were removed and brought to a private lounge where they received medical care. The captain of the ship raised the alarm at around 9.45am.

Garda immigration officers and paramedics met the Stena Line ferry when it docked at Rosslare at around 2.40pm.

The men, who are all from the Middle East, were assessed and found to be in general good health. It is believed they thought they were en route to the UK. The men are understood to be aged between 20 and 35 years of age but gardaí are attempting to establish if one of them is a juvenile.

Investigations are now under way into the precise route the container took – amid initial indications it may have travelled from Switzerland and Belgium to northern France.

The truck involved was operated by a Wexford-based haulage firm.

The discovery came just weeks after 39 migrants were found dead in the UK in a sealed, refrigerated truck that arrived in Essex from Belgium.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar vowed that Ireland's response to the incident will be humane but also thorough towards those responsible.

Speaking in Zagreb, Mr Varadkar said it was a very serious matter.

"I am aware that about 16 or 17 people have been found on a ferry and a truck that is heading for Rosslare.

"Of course our initial response will be a humanitarian one to make sure that those people are well and that their health is good.

"After that of course there will need to be a response that involves the police, involving the gardaí, because as you know human trafficking is illegal, and then we'll need to see what happens with the people who come ashore.

"They may wish to claim asylum, which they are entitled to do, or they may wish to be returned to the safe country from which they came.

"But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

"But the initial response will of course be a humanitarian one to make sure they are alive and in good health and I understand that they are."

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the discovery was a matter of great concern.

"I was extremely concerned to learn of another incident of people being found in a sealed lorry container, on this occasion on board a ferry," he said.

"There is an active Garda investigation under way and I would appeal to anyone with any information on these nefarious activities to come forward.

"The persons found in the lorry container are now being cared for by State services.

"As part of that care, they will receive initial medical assessments."

Wexford councillor Ger Carthy, who is an advanced paramedic, was among the team waiting in Rosslare yesterday afternoon when the boat docked, to ascertain the condition of the men on board.

He said that the men did not say anything to him about the circumstances surrounding how they ended up there.

But he added that they were "very fit young men".

The Independent councillor said around 15 medical staff, including paramedics and doctors, were on hand to assess the men.

The discovery has sparked a major international investigation.

In a briefing last night, Superintendent James Doyle, of Wexford garda station, said gardaí had yet to confirm whether one male is a juvenile.

"Garda immigration officers attached to Wexford garda station supported by the Garda National Immigration Bureau are now processing these males under immigration legislation.

"This has been a very traumatic experience for all the males concerned and they are being treated with sympathy and compassion," he said.

"The articulated lorry was photographed on the ferry and has now been removed to a secure location for further forensic examination.

"The articulated lorry tractor and trailer are owned by a local Irish-based company.

"The owners are co-operating fully with the investigation.

"The driver is a male believed to be in his 50s and he is also a long-time employee of the company and he is again assisting us with our enquiries.

"We continue our investigations into all the circumstances of this incident."

He said it was difficult to say how long they were in the container, but possibly five to 10 hours.

"They were in excellent condition.

"They were medically assessed and they were all proved to be medically sound and they were in good spirits and good health.

"They were discovered by staff on the Stena Horizon that generally patrol the lower deck, possibly heard noises coming from the trailer and they summoned the driver."

He described the men as having some "broken English", and said that they are believed to be between 20 and 35, although they are seeking to establish if one of them is a juvenile.

They were due to be transferred as a group to a reception area in Dublin last night.

He said the fact that gardaí had so much notice prior to docking meant that they were able to have the medical teams on standby.

One source told the Irish Independent that stock worth €10m may have to be binned as a result of the incident.