Italian authorities reported at least eight deaths in a tragic shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday.
The Italian coast guard disclosed that a boat carrying over 30 refugees capsized approximately 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southeast of the island of Lampedusa in international waters.
Despite challenging conditions, patrol boats successfully rescued many of the shipwrecked individuals, as per the coastguard.
Unfortunately, some migrants succumbed to hypothermia during the journey to Lampedusa.
Authorities on Wednesday evening said that 23 survivors were counted after arriving on the small Italian island, which lies between Sicily and Tunisia.
News agency ANSA reported that one of the 23 people who made it to shore later died, bringing the death toll to nine. Six people were receiving emergency medical treatment.
The exact circumstances of the accident were still unclear. Some reports from survivors were contradictory. There were also differing accounts as to how many people were still missing.
There was also no certainty about the origin of the capsized boat. Such ships often come from Libya, Egypt or Tunisia. According to the authorities, a small child is among the fatalities.
Many migrants repeatedly try to reach European Union islands in the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy's Lampedusa and Sicily. Other migrants have headed for the Italian mainland, Malta, or Greek islands.
The migrant journeys, many undertaken in unseaworthy vessels, have resulted in numerous devastating boat accidents, including some with scores of deaths.
The number of migrants attempting the journey to Europe has increased sharply this year. The Italian Interior Ministry has already counted more than 150,000 people who reached Italy without papers since January. The boats often set off from the Tunisian port city of Sfax.
