Divers’ search yields dozens of migrant bodies in sea

Divers began the recovery of dozens of migrants’ bodies yesterday from a boat that sank last week off the coast of Sicily in one of the worst such disasters to hit people fleeing violence, poverty and oppression in Africa.

About 500 migrants were packed onto the boat, which caught fire and capsized on Thursday, according to survivors. More than 200 are still missing, 111 bodies have been recovered and authorities say many will never be found.

Ten bodies were brought to the surface within half an hour of the first dive, finance police spokesman Leonardo Ricci told Reuters, despite 28-mph gusts of wind and a metre-high swell. Police expect to find about 100 bodies in and around the wreck.