A man has been arrested in connection with the discovery of five adult males and one child inside a shipping container at Rosslare Europort on Thursday morning.
Emergency services were alerted after one of those inside the container made a distress call while the vessel was travelling to Rosslare. Gardaí and ambulance crews then searched the vessel. The six people were found inside the trailer of a lorry which had arrived in Rosslare at around 5am on Thursday.
All six people were brought to Wexford General Hospital, where three remain with non life-threatening injuries. Gardaí said that two of the adults were refused permission to enter the State, while the juvenile received appropriate support.
It is understood that the ship on which the six individuals were discovered on Thursday had travelled from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Rosslare.
There have been reports that those found are believed to be Kurdish, although Gardaí have yet to officially confirm their nationality.
Three are understood to have now been discharged from hospital, and are reported to be in Garda custody.
It is understood that the individuals were in a distressed condition.
The man arrested in connection with the incident is in his 40s, as Gardai in Wexford continue to investigate with the assistance of the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
So far, the man’s identity, nationality, nor the suspected offence, is yet to be released by the Gardaí.
It is not the first time that such an incident has occurred; in January 2025, nine people were discovered at another shipping container at Rosslare, prompting a people-smuggling probe. A separate incident in January 2024 saw 14 people discovered in a refrigerated container and the arrest of a man in his thirties.
An ambulance official said that those discovered this week could have spent up to three days in the container, while the Irish Road Haulage association has said that the journey could have involved the container sitting in Zeebrugge for two or three days before being shipped to Ireland.