Fifty bodies are found in the hold of migrant vessel during rescue operation that saved 430 other refugees off the coast of Libya

  • Swedish ship Poseidon found bodies while rescuing boat in Mediterranean
  • Italian coastguard has received distress calls from 10 migrants boats today
  • Some 5,300 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast last week alone

By SIMON TOMLINSON FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

Around 50 migrants were found dead in the hold of a boat off the coast of Libya today during a rescue operation which saved 430 other people.

The Italian coast guard said the Swedish ship Poseidon, working with the European Union's Frontex border control agency, had gone to help the boat where the bodies were found.

Emergency calls for help have been received so far on Wednesday from 10 boats in difficulty around 30 miles (50 km) from the coast of Libya, a spokeswoman said.

Tragedy at sea: A security official in the western Libyan town of Zuwara, from where the overcrowded boat had set off, said there had been around 400 people on board [file picture]

Tragedy at sea: Around 50 migrants were found dead in the hold of a boat (not pictured) off the coast of Libya during a rescue operation which saved 430 other people

The ship rescued 439 survivors aboard the vessel but make the tragic discovery of 51 corpses in the hull

The ship rescued 439 survivors aboard the vessel but make the tragic discovery of 51 corpses in the hull

Migrants board Swedish rescue ship Poseidon after being spotted in a fishing boat off the Libyan coast

Migrants board Swedish rescue ship Poseidon after being spotted in a fishing boat off the Libyan coast

Five rescue operations have been concluded, but others are still underway.

The deaths come a day after Frontex revealed that some 5,300 migrants, mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa, were rescued in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast last week alone.

Most were rescued over the weekend, plucked from wooden or rubber boats, in one of the busiest three-day periods since the Frontex-coordinated operation Triton was launched in November 2014.

'Thousands of migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast this weekend and I am proud to say that vessels and aircraft funded by Frontex helped save more than half of them,' said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.

The fifty casualties died while making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing in hopes of reaching Europe

The fifty casualties died while making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing in hopes of reaching Europe

The Swedish Coast Guard help hundreds of migrants board the ship Poseidon after being spotted in a fishing boat

The Swedish Coast Guard help hundreds of migrants board the ship Poseidon after being spotted in a fishing boat

Desperate: The migrants on board had been from sub-Saharan Africa, Pakistan, Syria, Morocco and Bangladesh, the security official said [file picture] 

Medical teams had to be called in to treat some of the hundreds of migrants rescued from the small wooden boat

'We have never had so many people on board before,' said Lise Dunham chief commander of a Frontex-deployed Norwegian vessel.

'We had many challenges on Saturday as there were so many boats in need at the same time. We are so happy that we had no casualties,' said Lise Dunham chief commander of a Frontex-deployed Norwegian vessel.

Italy's coastguard on Saturday oversaw the rescue of 4,400 people with help from British, Irish and Norwegian ships.

Saturday's total was the highest recorded for a single day in recent years as calm conditions encouraged people smugglers to leave Libya with boats stuffed with as many paying passengers on board as possible.

Frontex said in its statement that in the first seven months of the year, some 95,000 migrants were rescued in the central Mediterranean.

The Italian coast guard said the Swedish ship Poseidon (above), working with the European Union's Frontex border control agency, had gone to help the boat where the bodies were found

The Italian coast guard said the Swedish ship Poseidon (above), working with the European Union's Frontex border control agency, had gone to help the boat where the bodies were found

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