A group of Syrians refugees has been speaking about the experience of being abandoned on a so-called ghost ship as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ezadeen, a Sierra Leonean flagged cargo ship, was found adrift in the Mediterranean and taken to Italy at the beginning of January.

It had been abandoned by people smugglers and set on autopilot courses towards the Italian coastline.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that using large cargo ships is a new trend that is emerging in the trafficking of people to Europe.

Zahra Mackaoui reports.

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