Italian coastguard recovers 7 bodies after Mediterranean shipwreck

The Italian coastguard has recovered seven bodies after a shipwreck off the southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, a frequent destination for migrants hoping to reach Europe, the service said on Tuesday.

Around 30 people were aboard the vessel when it sank in the night of October 16 to 17 around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of the Italian island, the coastguard had said Friday.

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Eleven of them were rescued but the rest of the passengers were unaccounted for at the time. 

After search and rescue operations over several days, the coastguard said Tuesday that it had managed to find the bodies of "a man, five women and a minor".

"Recovery operations dragged on for several days due to difficulties caused by particularly adverse weather conditions, repeatedly leading to the suspension of activities to ensure the safety of operating personnel," the coastguard said.

In the wake of the shipwreck, migrant rescue charity Alarm Phone said it had alerted the Italian and Maltese authorities to the boat's plight, but accused both of delaying the rescue. 

"They failed to act... We cannot express our anger at yet another group consciously being left to die," the charity posted on X last Friday. 

Located just 145 kilometres off the coast of Tunisia, Lampedusa is often the first port of call for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe in fragile or overcrowded boats.

More than 1,000 people have died so far this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea hoping to reach Europe, according to the UN migration agency.