<p>More than 20 people are feared to have drowned off Italy, the UN's refugee agency said Monday, as good weather prompted fresh attempts at the perilous Mediterranean crossing.</p>.<p>"Two shipwrecks off Lampedusa with 22 missing. Condolences to those who have lost family members at sea," Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR's representative for Italy, said on Twitter.</p>.<p>"Action is needed to stabilise the situation in countries of origin and transit, reducing the reasons that drive so many people to risk their lives at sea," she said.</p>.<p>The 36 survivors of the first shipwreck told the Italian coastguard that 19 people on board their boat had died after it partially capsized, a UNHCR press officer said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read |<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/two-migrants-dead-20-missing-in-mediterranean-after-boat-sinks-1208147.html" target="_blank"> Two migrants dead, 20 missing in Mediterranean after boat sinks</a></strong></p>.<p>Three other people were reported to have died in a second incident, Federico Fossi told AFP, warning however that the details were hazy.</p>.<p>The Italian coastguard was unavailable for comment and it was unclear when the disasters happened.</p>.<p>Survivors of the first shipwreck -- including six minors -- had been travelling on a seven-metre-long boat that sank in Italian waters, according to the Repubblica daily.</p>.<p>They were rescued by a fishing boat, it said.</p>.<p>Those saved hailed from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Sudan, and had paid between 500 and 600 euros ($650) for the crossing, according to the Stampa daily.</p>.<p>After four days of poor conditions at sea, the number of boats attempting the crossing to the Italian island of Lampedusa rose again on Sunday.</p>.<p>By Monday, there were 1,094 people in Lampedusa's migrant reception centre, built to take just under 400 people.</p>.<p>Over 36,000 people have arrived by sea in Italy this year, compared to some 9,000 in the same period last year, according to the interior ministry.</p>.<p>The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded 537 deaths or disappearances in the central Mediterranean -- the world's most dangerous crossing -- so far this year.</p>
<p>More than 20 people are feared to have drowned off Italy, the UN's refugee agency said Monday, as good weather prompted fresh attempts at the perilous Mediterranean crossing.</p>.<p>"Two shipwrecks off Lampedusa with 22 missing. Condolences to those who have lost family members at sea," Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR's representative for Italy, said on Twitter.</p>.<p>"Action is needed to stabilise the situation in countries of origin and transit, reducing the reasons that drive so many people to risk their lives at sea," she said.</p>.<p>The 36 survivors of the first shipwreck told the Italian coastguard that 19 people on board their boat had died after it partially capsized, a UNHCR press officer said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read |<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/two-migrants-dead-20-missing-in-mediterranean-after-boat-sinks-1208147.html" target="_blank"> Two migrants dead, 20 missing in Mediterranean after boat sinks</a></strong></p>.<p>Three other people were reported to have died in a second incident, Federico Fossi told AFP, warning however that the details were hazy.</p>.<p>The Italian coastguard was unavailable for comment and it was unclear when the disasters happened.</p>.<p>Survivors of the first shipwreck -- including six minors -- had been travelling on a seven-metre-long boat that sank in Italian waters, according to the Repubblica daily.</p>.<p>They were rescued by a fishing boat, it said.</p>.<p>Those saved hailed from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Sudan, and had paid between 500 and 600 euros ($650) for the crossing, according to the Stampa daily.</p>.<p>After four days of poor conditions at sea, the number of boats attempting the crossing to the Italian island of Lampedusa rose again on Sunday.</p>.<p>By Monday, there were 1,094 people in Lampedusa's migrant reception centre, built to take just under 400 people.</p>.<p>Over 36,000 people have arrived by sea in Italy this year, compared to some 9,000 in the same period last year, according to the interior ministry.</p>.<p>The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded 537 deaths or disappearances in the central Mediterranean -- the world's most dangerous crossing -- so far this year.</p>