Refugee boat in distress

Lome - A boat carrying up to 180 Liberian refugees has been stranded off West Africa for nearly two weeks

Lome - A boat carrying up to 180 Liberian refugees has been stranded off West Africa for nearly two weeks. Yesterday officials in the Togo capital, Lome, said the boat was in distress near the Togolese coast.

It had not been heard from since it left the port of Cotonou on Monday after being turned away by Benin authorities. Togolese port authorities said the boat's propellers were entangled in a fishing net.

Nigeria earlier this week offered the passengers sanctuary after the boat had spent nearly two weeks searching for a port which would accept them. The Swedish-registered Alnar had been presumed to be heading for Lagos.