The bodies of five would-be illegal immigrants have been spotted in the sea off the Italian island of Lampedusa by a naval military aircraft, after a second ship carrying immigrants sank in the area in two days, the ANSA news agency reported.
Sicilian maritime authorities reported the new sinking about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Lampedusa and said about 10 people were rescued by a fishing vessel.
ANSA quoted survivors as saying around 20 people were missing after the inflatable dinghy they were travelling in sank.
Several rescue boats are on their way to the scene of the disaster, which took place just a day after a boat crammed full of would-be immigrants sank off the coast of Lampedusa, killing at least 10 of its passengers.
Some 70 survivors were plucked from the water after the boat sank, several of whom said there had been 120 people on the boat.
Rescue efforts began at dawn after being abandoned late Saturday, but no more bodies were found.
The prosecutor's office on the southern island of Sicily said Saturday it was launching an investigation into whether an attempt by the Italian navy to rescue the migrants from their overloaded craft may have caused it to overturn.