Ship With Refugees Searching For Port

Faced with a shortage of food and water, a Russian vessel packed with refugees from Liberia has been searching for 10 days for a West African country that will allow it to dock, U.S. and U.N. officials said Thursday.

The U.S. figure for the number aboard the Zolotisa was 368 but the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva estimated there are 450 passengers.

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said health and sanitary conditions on board were “dramatic.” He said the agency’s information was based on reliable witnesses.

State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said Togolese authorities turned away the vessel Wednesday night after providing the passengers with some food and water.

He said U.S. officials have been urging Togo to reconsider its decision and that Benin and Nigeria also are being asked to allow the vessel to dock.