The coast guard, together with Italy's Financial Guard, launched a patrol operation after notified of a "large number of boats carrying migrants" on Friday, which it described as a "very intense day."
The coast guard noticed the capsizing boat overnight Saturday some 15 miles south from Lampedusa, which is located roughly in between Sicily and Tunisia. They elevated 47 passengers of the wrecked boat aboard their patrol ships and learned from them that another five people went missing.
According to the statement, a rescue helicopter was deployed to search for the possible survivors.
Rome [Italy], February 20
The Italian coast guard said on Saturday it saved over 40 irregular migrants on board a boat that capsized off the Lampedusa island in the Mediterranean Sea, with the search operation for the remaining survivors still underway.
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