Three bodies found in Mediterranean Sea off Spain might possibly be linked to migrant boat sinking

Three bodies in an advanced state of decomposition, two of them without heads, have been discovered in the waters off the Mediterranean Sea in Valencia province in the past month. The main hypothesis of the Guardia Civil and the maritime rescue units is that the bodies belong to victims of a sunken migrant boat, but other lines of investigation and the appearance of more bodies have not been ruled out.

The bodies were found in different locations, off the coasts of Cullera, Sagunto and Castellón. They had been in the water for a long period at the time of each discovery, hence the advanced stage of decomposition.

The first sighting was made on 1 July in the waters off Cullera. The head and part of the limbs were missing. The second body was located in the waters of Castellón on Sunday, 6 July. The last body was spotted on the evening of 7 July by the crew of Lady Carina. According to the investigation so far, all three bodies had been in the water for approximately the same amount of time.

The corpses were taken to the institute of legal medicine in Valencia, where forensic experts carried out autopsies, but they were not able to determine the cause of death. More information could be provided by the forensic unit of the Guardia Civil, who are analysing DNA samples and carrying out an anthropological study.