A young African stowaway may have suffocated on grain extracts, an inquest in Kilkenny city heard yesterday. The man's badly decomposed body was found in the hold of a cargo ship at Belview Port, Waterford on August 22nd, 2001.
Julius Baggara from Freetown, Sierra Leone, may have died on the day he embarked on August 8th, 2001, when the cargo of 4,000 tonnes of cotton seed extract was fumigated before leaving Freetown port.
A post-mortem was carried out on August 22nd, 2001 by Dr Robert Landers at Waterford Regional Hospital. His evidence that the man died from hypoxaemia or suffocation was read out by the coroner, Mr Rory Hogan, solicitor, in the absence of Dr Landers.
Garda John Killeen, based in Ferrybank, Waterford, gave evidence of visiting the scene and finding a wallet on the deceased which contained an ID. Details on it and the accompanying photograph were consistent with the features of the deceased. Waterford Fire Service removed the body by ambulance to the nearby hospital.
The body was found by Mr Richard Haberlin, Drumdowney, Slieverue, Co Kilkenny, who gave evidence that he discovered the body, half covered in pellets, when he was unloading the cargo.
Mr Hogan decided to release the body for burial as the cause of death had been established.
He was told by Supt Gordon Ryan that the body would be buried in Ireland and not returned to Sierra Leone.