Greener Pasture! Italian coastguard rescues hundreds as dead bodies found in migrants’ boat

Shocking images showing the bodies of dead migrants highlight the desperation of people who risk everything in the hope of improving their lives.

Some can be seen sitting on the edge of a rubber boat while 13 corpses fill the centre of the dinghy.

The dead included pregnant women and children, according to the Spanish charity that rescued those who survived the journey.

Rescuers from Proactiva Open Arms managed to rescue 167 people, including 40 women and six children, the charity’s spokeswoman Laura Lanuza said.

The boat was found drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, 15 miles north of the Libyan coast.

In a separate incident, Save the Children rescued 90 migrants on board a small boat, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

Both rescue operations were co-ordinated by the Italian coastguard.

Shockingly, more than 2,200 migrants have died while trying to reach Europe so far this year, the International Organisation for Migration said.

The number includes at least 25 people who drowned near the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Tuesday.