Two magistrates from Messina have met with inquiring magistrate Aaron Bugeja over the death of 30 migrants, including a baby, last month.

The coordination meeting was organised by the European agency Eurojust that was set up more than 10 years ago to improve handling of cross-border and organised crime.

Twenty-nine asylum seekers drowned on the 25-metre fishing boat in mid-July in an incident off Lampedusa and their corpses were brought to Malta.

Autopsies indicated they had drowned in the lower deck of their boat, and the Armed Forces of Malta said a stampede might have been behind the deaths.

Eurojust was set up more than 10 years ago to improve handling of cross-border and organised crime

Another victim, an infant whose parents refused to let go of him, was taken to Italy along with the survivors, one of who also died on the way to Italy.

They formed part of a group of hundreds of migrants who fled Libya on a boat that started taking in water nine hours from land.

Harrowing details of the tragedy later emerged in an Italian court, with five men accused of murdering dozens and throwing them overboard.

In Malta, the magistrate investigating the deaths released the bodies for burial towards the end of July, after consultation with the Italian judicial authorities.

The Home Affairs Ministry said the process took its time because most of the bodies were in an “advanced state of decomposition”.

Twenty-eight bodies were buried at the Addolorata Cemetery while another was buried at the Turkish Cemetery in Marsa.

The meeting in Malta between the Maltese and Italian authorities on Thursday included the magistrate that represents Eurojust’s office in Italy, two magistrates from Messina, Messina’s Deputy Superintendent, inquiring magistrate Aaron Bugeja, representatives of Eurojust in Malta and police officials.

A police spokesman said it could not comment on the case in view of an ongoing magisterial inquiry.