This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, a cargo vessel bound for Felixstowe returned to the Dutch port of Vlaardingen, near Rotterdam, after stowaways were discovered.
The 25 people found in the refrigerated container received medical attention at the port, with two taken to hospital for further treatment for possible hypothermia.
The discovery comes a month after 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Britain, highlighting the risks of illegal migrant routes to Europe.
According to the Rotterdam region emergency services, the ship returned to the harbour after the discovery, and the migrants were given medical care.
"The 25 people were taken off the ship and given the medical care they need. Earlier the message came from the ship that no people died," the emergency services said on Twitter.
DFDS Seaways, which operates the cargo ferry, stated that the migrants had come on board on a lorry trailer, as reported by De Telegraaf newspaper.
The driver of the truck had been arrested, and a bus took away the mainly male group, some of whom were wrapped in silver thermal blankets.
The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately known.
Mayor of Vlaardingen, Annemiek Jetten, expressed concern that people were becoming increasingly desperate and attempting to cross the Channel despite the tragic events in the UK.
