Four people who survived the shipwreck told rescuers that they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children. The boat set off on Thursday morning from Tunisia's Sfax, a hot spot in the migration crisis, but capsized and sank after a few hours.

The survivors - three men and a woman from Ivory Coast and Guinea - said they were rescued by a cargo ship and then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel.

The coast guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear if the shipwreck was linked to the two shipwrecks that the coast guard had reported on Sunday, saying around 30 people were missing from them.

The shipwreck is the latest in a series of deadly incidents in the central Mediterranean, where thousands of migrants attempt to cross the sea each year in search of a better life in Europe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,500 people have died in the central Mediterranean so far this year.

The IOM has called for greater efforts to rescue migrants in the central Mediterranean and to prevent them from embarking on dangerous journeys. The organization has also called for more humane treatment of migrants who are intercepted by authorities.

The shipwreck is a tragedy and a reminder of the dangers that migrants face when they attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea. It is also a call for action to address the root causes of migration and to prevent more people from dying. (ILKHA)