The 30 victims are believed to have been asphyxiated during the perilous trip from North Africa.

The Italian Navy yesterday, June 30, 2014, found about 30 bodies in a fishing boat near Sicily in Italy that was transporting hundreds of migrants from the North African coast. The BBC said the discovery was made when rescuers boarded the vessel to evacuate people said to be in distress, including two pregnant women.

The authorities said those who died were crammed into a compartment below the decks and appeared to have been asphyxiated. The fishing boat that was carrying about 600 migrants was later towed to the town of Pozzallo in southern Sicily. More than 1,600 migrants were rescued by Italian authorities last weekend, bringing the total number this year to more than 60,000. The figure is expected to surpass the 2011 record of 63,000 migrants set during the Arab Spring uprisings.

Italy has long borne the brunt of migrants making the perilous crossing from North Africa to Europe. The European Union border agency, Frontex, says there has been a significant rise in numbers in recent months, with the last few weeks seeing a series of tragedies. Some 10 people drowned while 39 others were rescued after their boat sank off the Libyan coast earlier last month. Last October, 360 people died when a boat sank off the island of Lampedusa.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Interior Minister, Angelino Alfano, has called for all rescue operations to be initiated by Europe. The request comes amidst reports of thousands of migrants waiting in Libya to make the trip in the next few weeks. Officials say one reason for the rise in illegal migrant numbers is Libya's continuing political instability.