LÉ James Joyce crew find 16 dead migrants on Med barge

The crew of LÉ James Joyce discovered 16 dead migrants onboard a metal barge who they believe died of crushing and suffocation because they were so tightly packed into the vessel.

Yesterday’s grim discovery was made less than 24 hours after the Naval Service celebrated rescuing the 10,000th migrant since it started its humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean Sea last year.

People smugglers are increasingly cramming migrants into totally unseaworthy barges and dinghies. It is usually the poorest and most vulnerable who lose their lives amid the chronic overcrowding.