The survivors of the freight container tragedy that claimed the lives of eight refugees tonight secured a top-level assurance they can stay in the Republic - if they want to.
The pledge was given by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who said the five people who emerged alive from the ordeal in Co Wexford had "suffered enough".
It also became clear tonight that all but two of the dead were from two families.
Mr Ahern, who issued a strong condemnation of the trafficker gang responsible for the plight of the refugees after hearing of the weekend incident, said the discovery of the bodies and their seriously ill companions had been appalling.
He also said the hearts of everyone in Ireland had gone out to the relatives of the smuggled immigrants who began arriving in the country today.
Meanwhile British-based relatives of the 13 refugees found lying dead and injured in a freight container began arriving in Wexford today.
They were called in by gardaí after interviews with some of the five people who survived a four-day ordeal that killed eight of their companions.
Contact with the relatives also came after detectives studied papers found among the bodies and the container load of Italian-made office furniture when it was opened at a business park in Wexford on Saturday.
The condition of five refugees found alive in the container lorry was said to be "very much improved" today.
Dr Paddy McKiernan of Wexford General Hospital said the survivors - a boy (17), two men aged 31 and 35, and a woman (40) - are all conscious and recovering.
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The Garda say they believe 11 of the group are Turkish and that the others are from Albania and Algeria.
There were two families from Turkey. The surviving woman lost her husband and two children, and a surviving man has lost his wife and two children.
Dr McKiernan said the survivors had been in critical condition suffering from lack of oxygen, hypothermia and dehydration when they were admitted.
"I think they must have gone through the most unbelievable harrowing scenes before they passed out. But I am glad to say that this morning all five are very much improved and are alert and talking".
He said he did not think the survivors realised their families and friends were dead. "They will have to be informed of that later on during the day and I think that is going to be horrific to say the least".
The refugees had intended to head for a port on the southern coast of England. But they were reportedly mistakenly put on a container bound instead for Waterford, where the vehicle was collected and driven to Wexford.
That meant the group faced a two-day voyage to Ireland in gale-force weather conditions and freezing temperatures, rather than a trip to Britain lasting a few hours.
It was thought to have happened outside the Belgian port of Zeebrugge after the furniture consignment had been taken there by train.
The mistake was made by a Europe-based criminal gang specialising in human trafficking in return for large sums of cash, who broke open the container's seal to force in the refugees into the near-airless space in which so many of them died.
Minister for Justice Mr John O'Donoghue said the cases of the survivors would receive "sympathetic and humane consideration" if they applied to remain in Ireland. "I have no intention of saying no room at the inn to these human beings," he said.
Post-mortems of the eight dead were continuing at the hospital, supervised by Ireland's chief state pathologist Dr John Harbison.
The Turkish embassy in Dublin, whose officials went to Wexford last night, today thanked the Government for the handling of the incident.
The Irish company that had been due to take delivery of the office furniture that was in the container with the refugees today said all of the items would be burned.
PA &AFP