ROME, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Italian authorities on Wednesday said forty-one migrants are thought to have died in a shipwreck last week in the central Mediterranean, according to accounts by survivors who have been taken to the island of Lampedusa.
Local public prosecutor Salvatore Vella confirmed media reports that four people who survived the shipwreck told rescuers they were on a boat carrying 45 people, including three children.
They were then transferred onto an Italian coast guard vessel and disembarked in Lampedusa, where they shared their story.
The Italian coast guard did not respond to a request for comment.
A source with knowledge of the matter said it was unlikely that the shipwreck experienced by the survivors was one of two the coast guard had reported on Sunday.
Persons:
Salvatore Vella, Tunisia's, Vella, Federico Maccioni, Federica, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer, Alexandra Hudson
Organizations:
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Locations:
Lampedusa . Local, Italian, Lampedusa, Sfax, Italy, Europe