Migrants' bodies arrive in Sicily

In crisp blue waters, the Italian Coast Guard tows a migrant boat carrying 30 bodies, off the coast of Sicily.

The bodies were found on the fishing boat packed with migrants on Sunday.

The Italian Navy says they either suffocated or drowned.

The discovery of the corpses underlines the scale of the crisis in the southern Mediterranean, where hundreds have died in the past year making the journey to Europe. Tens of thousands more have been plucked from rickety boats.

More than 5,000 people were rescued last weekend -- that adds to the 50,000 migrants who have reached Italy from North Africa so far this year. Many are fleeing war and forced conscription as well as poverty and a lack of opportunity.

Italy has called on its EU partners to do more to help manage the near daily arrivals. It's a phenomenon that has boosted voter support for the anti-immigration Northern League party in a country struggling to emerge from recession.