16 bodies plucked from Mediterranean

A French naval frigate has discovered the bodies of at least 16 people floating in the Mediterranean in recent days, maritime officials said last night.

Crew members on La Motte Picquet have not found any signs of boat wreckage as the bodies, possibly of illegal immigrants hoping to reach Europe, were pulled out of the water, maritime officials in south-western Toulon said.

The corpses were found about 200 nautical miles south of Malta, between the Mediterranean island and the coast of Libya, the officials said.

The European Union has been stepping up patrols off the coast of Africa to keep people from embarking on dangerous trips in overcrowded wooden boats in search of a new life in Europe.

Many thousands attempt the crossings each year, and hundreds die along the way.