32 Stowaways Found on Ship

Federal immigration officials were interviewing 32 Chinese stowaways Saturday after they were found in two cargo containers at the Port of Los Angeles.

A crane operator was unloading the containers about 6 p.m. and noticed three men climbing out of one, said Lt. Titus Smith of the Los Angeles Port Police.

The illegal immigrants were all men who looked to be in their 20s, police said. “They seemed to be in excellent shape,” Smith said, noting that the containers had water, food, sleeping bags, backpacks and battery-powered fans mounted on the top.

The men sailed to Los Angeles on the NYK Athena, which docked at Terminal Island. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were investigating. “At this point, we don’t believe the ship’s captain or any other people had knowledge about this,” Smith said.