Seventeen bodies were recovered and seven people rescued from a drifting boat off the coast of Libya, the Libyan Red Crescent reported on Wednesday. The rescue operation was carried out by a patrol vessel that responded to a distress call near the North African country’s shoreline. The incident was confirmed by AFP from Tripoli.

According to the Red Crescent, the operation was one of the most difficult field missions conducted so far. Photos posted on the organization’s Facebook page showed rescuers unloading black body bags from a boat. The nationalities of the deceased and survivors were not disclosed. The Red Crescent said it was working with the UN refugee agency to provide humanitarian assistance to the survivors, suggesting they were migrants attempting to reach Europe.

The rescue involved members of the Red Crescent, the navy, the coast guard, and coastal security units. The operation lasted more than eight hours under challenging conditions, following eight days during which the stranded boat had been in distress.