Bodies of around 50 people have been found in the hold of a vessel carrying migrants and refugees from Libya to Europe, according to Italian Coast Guard.
Close to 430 people have been rescued from the said vessel by the Swedish navy ship Poseidon, part of European Union’s Frontex border management program.
A spokesperson for the Italian Coast Guard said that emergency calls have been received from ten different boats located in an area some 30 miles off the coast of Libya today.
Five rescue operations have been completed thus far, and several other operations are ongoing.
The latest tragedy brings the total number of all migrants and refugees who died attempting to reach Europe by sea in 2015 to 2,423. The death toll recorded in the same period in 2014 was 2,081.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: MOAS