Two dead migrants who were among the 24 unidentified bodies that were brought to Malta after the migrant boat disaster last month, have been “tentatively” identified.

Some 800 migrants are feared to have perished when their boat capsized. Only 28 survivors and 24 corpses were recovered.

Pathologist David Grima, who conducted autopsies on the bodies, said the health authorities had found identity documents of two of the migrants among their personal belongings.

The items, which included passport-style photographs, resembled Eritrean identity cards. 

Dr Grima said the information had been passed on to the police, who are in touch with international law enforcement agencies to try to verify the documents’ authenticity. Once this is done, efforts will be made to contact the migrants’ families.

He said some migrants in Malta had already made contact with the hospital and visited the morgue on the day a funeral. They asked to see the bodies, as they were expecting loved ones to make the crossing. Their request, however, was turned down, as the bodies had already been sealed for burial when the request was made.  DNA samples have been collected.

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