Dozens of migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat carrying an estimated 137 people sank south of Sicily, an aid agency says.
Save the Children says survivors reported up to 40 people fell into the sea as a rescue vessel was approaching. Those rescued arrived in the Sicilian port city of Catania on Tuesday.
Thousands of migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean by the Italian coast guard over the weekend. This boat was spotted near Lampedusa on 3 May. Photo: AFP / Italian Navy / Anadolu Agency
At least 1829 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.
Giovanna di Benedetto, Save the Children's representative in Catania, said the latest sinking was thought to have happened on Sunday, but the exact toll was not known.
"They [survivors] said there were 137 people aboard an inflatable boat that deflated or exploded - it wasn't clear - and that some of them fell overboard," Ms di Benedetto told AFP news agency.
"Some said 'very many' died, others said 'around 40'," she added. The survivors were picked up by a Maltese merchant ship and five bodies were also recovered.
About 100 people were found on a second boat, with no deaths reported, the aid agency said.
The number of migrants attempting to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean has risen in recent weeks as smugglers take advantage of fair weather.
In the past three days about 7,000 people have been rescued and 10 bodies recovered off the Libyan coast, according to the Italian coastguard.
- BBC