As the search continued Wednesday for a possible third migrant boat, the death toll rose to more than 200 from two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya earlier in the week.
Only nine survivors were rescued from the two boats that were overwhelmed by stormy seas and high waves Monday, killing almost everyone on board, either immediately or slowly by hypothermia.
The Italian Coast Guard and merchant vessels rescued survivors from the two boats believed to have been carrying 105 and 107 migrants respectively, authorities said Wednesday.
Searches continued after survivors said a third boat had set out with them last Saturday from Libya.
Only two survivors, from Mali and Senegal, were found on one boat and seven, including a minor, on the other.
The island of Lampedusa marks Italy's southernmost border and is often the target from migrants heading for a new life in Europe and fleeing violence in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
But the treacherous seas and human smugglers have been responsible for thousands of migrant deaths each year.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
