Valletta, Malta - A corpse recovered from the sea off Malta belonged to one of five fishermen missing for over a week, police said Friday.

The badly decomposed body of Noel Carabott, 33, was identified by his wife. The body, recovered from the sea on Thursday, was initially thought to have belonged to a would-be illegal immigrant.

The men on board the boat, which had been due to return to Malta a week ago, were fishing for tuna. Also on the boat was an 11-year- old boy.

Italian and Maltese rescue aircraft as well as US vessels have been scanning the sea between Malta and Lampedusa for days. (dpa)