The incident took place near the coastal town of Crotone in the Calabria region in the early hours of Sunday amid bad weather conditions, Sputnik reported.
Survivors claimed that up to 150 people from Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan were on board the vessel, thought to have left Turkey four days ago. Some media reports put the figure at 200. An Italian media outlet reported that a Turkish national has been detained on suspicion of human trafficking.
The authorities have meanwhile said that around 80 people were saved from the water, but that the death toll from the boat wreck is almost certain to increase.
MP/PR
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