A truck is loaded with a container at the Port of Montreal in the Sept. 27, 2010, file photo.Shaun Best/Reuters
Four men found in a shipping container at the Port of Montreal were dehydrated and likely had been in the storage unit for many days, authorities said Thursday.
Stephane Smith, a spokesman for the Urgences Sante ambulance service, said two of the men had difficulty breathing.
"Many days, the exact number, I don't know, but we're talking many, many days," Smith said in an interview.
Globe editorial: Are we headed for a refugee crisis on our border? Ottawa needs to tell us
The four, who are aged between 30 and 40, were transported to a local hospital to receive medical assistance.
RCMP Const. Erique Gasse said the four will be under the supervision of the Canada Border Services Agency, while the Mounties will conduct an investigation into the discovery.
Border agents found the four while searching a container.
"As this is still under review by the CBSA, and for privacy reasons, we cannot give more information," the CBSA said in a statement.