Photos of African migrants stepping over dead bodies after being rescued in the Mediterranean Sea

Hundreds of African migrants, from Nigeria, Somalia, Eritrea and other sub-Saharan countries, crammed in boats headed for Italy, were rescued in multiple operations on Tuesday.

More than two dozen people were dead in one boat alone, asphyxiated from the crush aboard. In other boats, bodies were splayed on the floorboards, forcing survivors to clamber over the corpses of their fellow voyagers. Over 11,000 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by aid groups and the Italian Coast Guard this week. See full photo of the bodies after the cut..

Photo credit: AFP