A spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that at least six migrants had died and forty were missing following a shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Separately, the Italian coastguard confirmed that it intervened on Tuesday after being alerted about a rubber dinghy that was in distress. It found 10 survivors and 6 bodies. The Coastguard reported that search and rescue operations continued on Wednesday.

The coastguard has said that bad weather makes it more difficult to operate, and they are supported by aircraft provided by the Army, Police, and Frontex, the European Union border agency.

UNHCR spokeswoman said that survivors reported to rescuers how many migrants from Cameroon and Ivory Coast as well as Guinea and Mali fell into the sea due to bad weather just hours after leaving the Tunisian town of Sfax.

UNHCR, International Rescue Committee and their partner agency International Rescue Committee (IRC) are providing assistance to the migrants in Lampedusa. The Italian Red Cross is also providing support psychologically.

Lampedusa is located in the Mediterranean Sea between Tunisia and Malta, and the larger Italian Island of Sicily. It's a popular first port-of-call for migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa. This is one of the most dangerous sea crossings.

According to the Italian interior ministry, more than 66.600 sea migrants reached Italian shores last year. This is less than half the figure for 2023. Around 9,000 people have arrived on Italian soil so far this season. (Reporting and editing by Gavin Jones, Alex Richardson and Cristina Carlevaro)

(source: Reuters)