At least 13 dead in migrant boat capsizing off Lampedusa

At least 13 people died when an overloaded migrant boat capsized near the island of Lampedusa as they were about to be rescued, the Italian coast guard said Monday.

Twenty-two people were rescued from the sea and taken to land.

The smugglers' boat overturned as a patrol boat was preparing to take migrants on board in rough seas about six miles (10 kilometers) off Lampedusa just after midnight, the coast guard said in a statement.

Twenty-two migrants were rescued from the sea, and 13 bodies were recovered two immediately, and 11 during a subsequent search operation.

The coast guard said all of the recovered bodies were of women.

Italian coast guard helicopters and vessels were searching for more of the missing.

Doctors Without Borders says the Ocean Viking ship it operates has been asked by Italian authorities to join the operation.

Initial reports by authorities in Sicily who received the distress call put the number of migrants on board at around 50.

Non-governmental organisations say as many as 30 migrants, including eight children, could be missing from the smuggler's boat, which had departed Tunisia.

The coast guard had no additional information on how many might be missing.

The UN refugee agency said the deadly shipwreck "highlights once again that urgent action is needed to address the situation on the Mediterranean."