About 30 migrants, including a baby, have reportedly died after a overloaded boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy.
The BBC reports that the vessel broke apart while trying to land with more than 100 people aboard near the coastal town of Crotone in the Calabria region.
Many bodies have been recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort.
Large numbers of people fleeing conflict and poverty make the crossing from Africa to Italy each year. However, It is unclear where the boat had travelled from but reports say the victims were from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Italian authorities have mounted a large search-and-rescue operation on land and at sea.
The death toll “has surpassed 30,” Danilo Maida, spokesman for firefighters in Calabria, said.
Writing by Fany Olumoye; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu