25 African migrants found dead in ship’s hold bound for Italy

MORE than two dozen African migrants trying to reach Italy from Libya died in the hold of a rickety boat so packed with people that the migrants could not get out as they struggled to breathe, Italian media and coast guard officials said yesterday after the bodies were found below decks.

Hundreds of migrants fleeing unrest and conflict in Libya and across North Africa are believed to have died since the beginning of the year in desperate journeys across the Mediterranean.

The 15-metre boat was carrying 296 people, including women and children, according to the Coast Guard captain, Antonio Morana.