(Adds second corpse, also thought to be missing fisherman, found)

A corpse recovered from the sea late yesterday belonged to Noel Carabott, 33, one of the fishermen missing for a week on board the Maltese fishing boat Simshar, informed sources said.

A second corpse was found in the sea this afternoon and is thought to have been another of the fishermen. The body was spotted by an AB212 helicopter of the Italian Military Mission. A Maltese fishing boat quickly arrived on site and a patrol boat is on the way,

The first body was located by a merchant ship 60 miles south west of Malta and was brought to Malta by a patrol boat early this morning. Mrs Carabott, the fisherman's wife, was asked to assist in the identification. It is understood that the corpse carried tattoos and a bracelet which helped in the identification.

The police in a statement this afternoon confirmed that the corpse was that of Mr Carabott and said the cause of that was asphyxia due to drowning.

The Simshar had been due to return to Marsaxlokk last Friday.

On board were Simon Bugeja, his father Carmelo, his 11-year-old son Theo, Noel Carabott and an Eritrean fisherman.

The fishermen had gone out to fish for tuna.

Aircraft from the Armed Forces of Malta and Italian and American units had scanned the sea between Malta and Lampedusa for days, as had Maltese patrol boats.