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Police: Body Of Suspected Stowaway Found On Arriving Ship In Philly

By Steve Beck

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police are investigating the discovery of a body on a ship that arrived from West Africa Monday.

The discovery was made at about 12:27 p.m. on a ship that arrived at Pier 84 along the Delaware River.

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According to investigators, workers were unloading a cargo ship filled with cocoa beans when Kareem Dye and his co-workers smelt an "awful" smell.

"You could tell something was dead, but we just didn't know what it was," Dye told Eyewitness News.

Dye said he and his co-workers then spotted clothes, boots and a book bag full of snacks.

According to Dye, they then saw the body of husky black male hunched over.

The workers then called 911. Police, fire and Customs officers arrived at the scene.

It is believed that the male was a stowaway on the ship that originated in Africa.

"It was a horrible scene to look at," Dye said.

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The male's name and cause of death were not immediately known.

The incident remains under investigation.

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