Migrant boat wrecks off Italy, killing 59, leaving 80 survivors, Italian Coast Guard says

Italian officials on Sunday said they are continuing to search for survivors after an overcrowded wooden boat filled with migrants smashed into the rocky coast of southern Italy, killing at least 59 migrants.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the migrants' lives were "cut short by human traffickers," in a translated statement.

"It is criminal to put a boat that is barely 20 meters long out to sea with as many as 200 people on board and with bad weather forecast," she also said. "It is inhumane to trade the lives of men, women and children for the price of the 'ticket' they have paid with the false prospect of a safe journey."

The Coast Guard said 80 people have been rescued so far and rescue efforts will continue with the use of boats, planes and even a submarine.

Officials expect the death toll to rise, Reuters reported.

The ship sailed from Turkey carrying migrants from Afghanistan, Iran and other countries.