Overcrowded boat smashes into rocky reefs, 43 dead

43 migrants were killed in an overcrowded wooden boat smashed into rocky reefs just off southern Italy at dawn Sunday, the Italian Coast Guard said. 80 persons were recovered alive from the spot. A helicopter and motorboats were deployed in search efforts, including vessels from state firefighters, border police and the coast guard.

A Coast Guard motorboat rescued two men suffering from hypothermia and recovered the body of a boy in the rough seas, it said in a statement. Firefighter boats, including rescue divers, recovered 28 bodies, including three pulled by a strong current far away from the wreckage.