Gardai are investigating a report by a Sierra Leone woman that the body of her two-year-old son who died on board a cargo ship en route to Ireland was dumped overboard by smugglers whom she had paid to get her out of Africa.
Ms Alimal Yusseff (28) told care staff at a hostel in Cork, where she is staying, that she and her daughter, Fatima, and Fatima's twin brother were smuggled out of Sierra Leone in a container ship. They were hidden in the cargo hold and the little boy died during the voyage. His body was removed by the men paid to get the family out of Sierra Leone.
"She has told us that the child was taken from her and she didn't see him again. She believes his body was thrown overboard," said a Garda spokesman, adding that Ms Yusseff spoke very little English and that details were still sketchy.
She has told gardai that she arrived at an unidentified Irish port and that she and Fatima were brought to Cork in a car by three men. One of the men spoke English, and the car journey to Cork took quite a long time, she told detectives.
The man got a taxi for Ms Yusseff and Fatima in Cork and gave the driver a note to take them to Anglesea Street Garda station. Gardai have now appealed for the taxi-driver to contact them.
Detectives were yesterday checking with port authorities in Dublin, Waterford, Rosslare and Cork to see if any had received cargo container ships which may have come directly from Sierra Leone.