The crew of the LÉ Niamh have recovered the bodies of 14 migrants and rescued 210 others in the Mediterranean.
LÉ Niamh crew rescuing migrants in an earlier operation yesterday.The rescued migrants were found on board a wooden barge 80km north west of Tripoli yesteray.
The bodies were also on the barge.
The crew of the LE Niamh worked with the Medécins Sans Frontiére vessel MV DIGNITY 1 at a wooden barge estimated to have 500 migrants on board.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said: “During the course of the operation the LÉ NIAMH embarked 210 (137 males, 38 females and 35 minors) migrants from the barge and the remainder were embarked on the MV DIGNITY 1. During searches of the barge the crew of the LÉ NIAMH recovered 14 bodies from below the deck of the barge.”
It is understood the barge left Tripoli in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The remains of the 14 migrants were taken on board the LÉ NIAMH at 11.30 pm last night and the ship is now sailing towards the port of Messina, Sicily.
There are currently 453 rescued migrants on board – they include 243 migrants rescued in another operation yesterday.