At least nine dead in shipwreck off Italy's Lampedusa

According to the Italian coastguard, a boat with more than 30 refugees on board capsized around 55km southeast of Lampedusa in international waters.

Despite difficult conditions, patrol boats managed to take many of the people on board, the coastguard said. However, some migrants died of hypothermia on the way to Lampedusa.

Authorities said 23 survivors were counted after arriving on the Italian island, which lies between Sicily and Tunisia.

News agency ANSA reported six people were receiving emergency medical treatment. A small child was among the fatalities, authorities say.

The exact circumstances of the accident were still unclear and there were also differing accounts as to how many people were missing.

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.

Australian Associated Press