Officials in Sicily say they have rescued at sea 14 migrants from Libya trying to reach Italian shores.
An Italian Navy officer said his vessel picked up the immigrants near the island of Lampedusa. It lies between Sicily and Libya in the Mediterranean Sea.
The immigrants told Italian sailors that 13 other migrants had died. The survivors said they threw the dead bodies into the sea.
Officials said the survivors had gone days without food or water. At least seven were taken to the Sicilian capital, Palermo, in critical condition.
Lampedusa is a popular destination for immigrants from northern Africa. Hundreds of people have made their way to Lampedusa in recent days.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.