Police officers board the Pascal after the bodies of two men were found on board.

An investigation has begun after the bodies of two stowaways, thought to be Tunisian men, were found in the hold of a cargo ship at Ayr harbour.

Officers were today checking whether other stowaways were trapped inside the vessel.

The discovery was made yesterday afternoon as the mainly Russian crew on the Pascal was unloading its loose cargo of phosphate, a raw material for fertiliser. It is believed the two men boarded the vessel at least 12 days ago, before it left Sfax in Tunisia.

Continued