ROME

Seven migrants were rescued and 21 are missing after a shipwreck occurred off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the country’s Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The rescued migrants, all men of Syrian nationality, said there are three minors among the 21 missing, who fell into the sea due to bad weather during the journey.

The boat, which was sinking when the coast guard intercepted it, left the Libyan coast on Sunday.

The rescuers said they are searching for the missing migrants. They also alerted the sea rescue teams of Tunisia, Malta and Libya asking for their help in the search.

“Another tragic shipwreck near Lampedusa. The majority of the survivors say they lost some family members. We are on the spot with our operational teams,” Nicola Dell’Arciprete, UNICEF country coordinator for Italy, said on X.

The southern Mediterranean route continues to be one of the most dangerous paths toward Europe from Africa. So far this year, it claimed the lives of slightly more than 1,000 migrants attempting the crossing, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Around 43,000 migrants have reached Italy this year, according to latest figures from Italy’s Interior Ministry.