About 30 bodies have been found in a migrant boat which was stopped between Sicily and the North African coast, Italian news agencies reported on Monday, citing the navy and coastguard.
The rescuers made the gruesome discovery when they boarded a fishing boat carrying around 590 refugees and migrants to evacuate those in most distress, including two pregnant women.
The immigrants apparently died of asphyxiation, the news agencies said. It is not the first time Italian rescuers have found migrants dead on the overcrowded boats but never before were there such a large number. The boat is being towed by the Italian navy and is expected to arrive later on Monday in Pozzallo on the southeast coast of Sicily. Over the past weekend more than 1,600 migrants were rescued by Italian authorities, bringing the total number of migrants so far this year to above 60,000.