Malta Holds Memorial Service For Mediterranean Migrant Victims

Twenty-four coffins containing the only bodies recovered from the Mediterranean's worst-ever migrant disaster have been laid out for a memorial service in Malta for the estimated 800 victims.

Malta's president and prime minister, Italy's interior minister and the EU's migration commissioner were present for Thursday's service, which includes Christian and Muslim prayers.

Only 28 people survived the capsizing of the migrant boat that departed from Libya last weekend.

The memorial service comes as European Union leaders are due to hold an emergency summit on ways to stem the number of migrants risking their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean.

The leaders, who decided last year to halt the rescue of migrants, will vote to reverse their decision after a rapid escalation of deadly shipwrecks.

The weekend incident raised the death toll to around 1,800 so far this year, compared to fewer than 100 who died before the end of April last year, when a similar number attempted the journey.