Three decomposing bodies were spotted off Tunisia by a migrant charity boat, Italy's coast guard said Wednesday, in what are presumed to be the latest migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. The coast guard said it had received a report from an aid group on Tuesday "concerning the sighting of three bodies in an advanced state of decomposition" about 36 nautical miles from the coast of Zarzis. The bodies were in a search-and-rescue area under the responsibility of Libya and Tunisia. An aircraft operated by an NGO spotted a decomposing body in the same area, but it was not clear whether it may have been one of the three, the coastguard said in a statement. Every year, tens of thousands of people attempt to cross the sea from North Africa to southern Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 914 migrants have died or gone missing this year while attempting the risky central Mediterranean route. Earlier this month, a plane operated by the SOS Mediterranee rescue group spotted 11 decomposing bodies in the sea off the Libya coast.
