At least 40 migrants dead in Mediterranean sinking

At least 40 migrants are feared dead in an umpteenth sinking in the Mediterranean, the Italian navy said.

Via its official Twitter account, the Marina Militare said that a rescue operation was underway and several migrants were saved.

“At least 40 persons have died,” it said.

#UltimOra #SAR In corso attività su barcone da parte di Nave Cigala Fulgosi #MarinaMilitare. Numerosi migranti in salvo. Almeno 40 morti

— Marina Militare (@ItalianNavy) August 15, 2015

Italian media report that bodies were found in the hold of the vessel.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, rescues at sea are occurring at a rate of over 1,000 migrants a day this summer off Italy and Greece.

Deaths at sea are also at record levels this year. In the last eight days there have been two more shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, pushing total fatalities calculated by IOM’s Missing Migrants Project to at least 2,300.