French ship finds 18 bodies off Malta

A French naval frigate conducting a surveillance mission off Malta discovered the bodies of 18 people floating in the Mediterranean Friday, a navy spokesman said.

Crew members on "La Motte Picquet" noticed no boat nearby as the bodies _ possibly of illegal immigrants hoping to reach Europe _ were pulled out of the water, said Cmdr. Emmanuel Dinh by telephone from the southwestern port city of Toulon.

Search efforts were completed Friday evening, and the vessel was returning toward France. The bodies were believed to have been floating in the sea for two or three days, Dinh said.

The corpses were found about 215 miles south of Malta, between the Mediterranean island and Libya. He said he didn't know where the people were from.

The European Union has been stepping up patrols off the coast of Africa to keep people from embarking on dangerous trips in overcrowded wooden boats in search of a new life in Europe. Many thousands attempt the crossings each year, and hundreds die along the way.