Heartbreaking Photo Of Drowned Couple Clinging To Each Other In The Sea Found

This young couple are united even in death, clinging to each other in the shadow of the sunken hull. Harrowing underwater footage of the migrant ship that sunk killing more than 300 last autumn has emerged, following another tragic shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa.

As police divers explore the sunken wreck, the bodies of those that did not survive can be seen on board and scattered on the surrounding sea bed. In one heartbreaking image a young couple had remained in a loving embrace even as they drowned. The ship caught fire and sank last September, just two miles off the island of Lampedusa, killing 366 migrants mostly Somalis and Eritreans. Following the disaster, the worst since 2000, and amid much soul searching, the Italian navy and coastguard stepped up rescue operations. But the authorities have struggled to intercept boats as gangs of smugglers, encouraged by the rescue efforts, have increased the number of crossings. Already this year 36,000 migrants have landed by boat in Italy, eight-fold last year's arrivals.