At least 20 people died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, local media and the United Nations refugee agency reported on Wednesday.
Rescuers have so far recovered 20 bodies and operations are continuing, according to reports from the Anse news agency. It is believed that between 70 and 80 people survived.
Filippo Ungaro of the UN refugee agency UNHCR expressed "deep sadness" over the disaster and estimated that more migrants could be missing at sea.
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"Twenty bodies have been found, and the same number are missing," he wrote on his Xu account.
The Italian Interior Ministry has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Photo: EPA/CIRO FUSCO
