Italy's navy says a boat carrying about 250 migrants has capsized off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, only a week after another shipwreck in the same area killed hundreds of African migrants.
Rescue officials from Italy and Malta say helicopters and navy ships are at the scene and report seeing bodies in the water.
Officials say those rescued are being taken to the island of Lampedusa, about 100 kilometers from where the boat capsized Friday.
The incident comes just over a week after an African migrant ship capsized off the same small island, killing more than 300 people.
Lampedusa is geographically closer to Africa than it is to Italy's mainland, making the island a destination for Africans
hoping to start a new life in Europe.
Rescue officials from Italy and Malta say helicopters and navy ships are at the scene and report seeing bodies in the water.
Officials say those rescued are being taken to the island of Lampedusa, about 100 kilometers from where the boat capsized Friday.
The incident comes just over a week after an African migrant ship capsized off the same small island, killing more than 300 people.
Lampedusa is geographically closer to Africa than it is to Italy's mainland, making the island a destination for Africans
hoping to start a new life in Europe.