Kurdish migrants found in container seek asylum

Gardaí discovered nine Kurdish migrants inside a refrigerated freight container at the weekend after they tracked a mobile phone used by the migrants to ring 999.

Eight of the nine Kurds — who came in on a container off the Cherbourg to Rosslare ferry on Saturday — have requested asylum. The ninth was detained under immigration laws, and may face deportation, while the driver of the truck has also been questioned by gardaí.

The Irish Road Haulage Association said the country is blessed it was not looking at “mass deaths” on the first day of the election count.