Eleven migrants have died and dozens of others are missing after two Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks

At least 11 migrants have died and dozens of others are missing after two shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of southern Italy.

Up to 51 people were rescued after the boat they were travelling on became flooded with water, a German charity says.

RESQSHIP, which operates a migrant rescue ship called Nadir, said on social media platform X it had found 61 people on board the flooded wooden boat, with the 10 dead trapped in its lower deck.

RESQSHIP said its crew in consultation with Italian coastguard authorities, pulled the boat towards the island of Lampedusa.

The charity said two of those who survived were unconscious and receiving medical attention, adding that they critically needed emergency evacuation.

“Our thoughts are with their families. We are angry and sad,” RESQSHIP wrote on X.

RESQSHIP gave no details about where or when the rescue operation took place, but according to the marinetraffic.com tracking service, the Nadir WAS off the eastern Tunisian port of Sfax on Monday.

The Organisation for Migration and UNICEF said those on board came from Syria, Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Italian coastguard said a second shipwreck was also found off the Calabria region. The ship had departed from Turkey but was overturned due to a fire.

The Italian coastguard said a French vessel alerted authorities to the half-sunken boat and took in 12 survivors. However, one of the 12 survivors died after disembarking. While more than 60 migrants are reportedly still missing.

Doctors Without Borders is providing “psychological assistance to all survivors”.

The United Nations has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.

Earlier this month 11 bodies were recovered from the sea off the coast of Libya.