At least 43 people have died in an accident involving a boat with migrants onboard off the southern Italian coast, media reports said on Sunday.
The bodies were discovered on the beach of Steccato di Cutro in the province of Crotone in Calabria and in the sea, the Italian news agency ANSA and RAI television reported on Sunday morning, citing the police.
The fire brigade had initially confirmed 28 bodies recovered. The coastguard put the number at 43, according to ANSA.
Photos showed survivors wrapped in blankets on the shore, as rescue workers recovered bodies from the Ionian Sea.
The number of victims could still rise significantly because many bodies have not yet been recovered from the sea, the report said.
There were 80 survivors, 21 of whom had been taken to hospital, ANSA reported. They reported at least 250 people on board.
According to ANSA, many children and women were among the victims. Some of the dead were floating at sea, others were found on the beach.
Steccato di Cutro is a seaside resort on the toe of the Italian boot. There are several major hotels there.
"This is a rude awakening that must rouse the community so that similar tragedies do not happen," Italian Red Cross president Rosario Valastro wrote on Twitter.
In a first reaction, Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called for tougher action against smugglers. The boats must be prevented from setting sail in the first place, he demanded.
According to initial information, the migrants were on a fishing boat, which broke apart in heavy seas, after which some of the people onboard drowned.
There was no information on the nationality of the victims or their port of departure.
Each year many people make the dangerous crossing from Northern Africa via the Mediterranean to the European Union, heading for Italy and Malta, hoping for a better life in Europe. Many also try to reach Italy from Greece via the Ionian Sea. The boats are often overcrowded and unsafe, meaning there are often serious accidents.
