Scores of migrants missing as boat capsizes off Italy
The BBC's Emma Wallis in Rome: "Coastguards are not giving up on the missing people yet"
A search is under way for 130 migrants missing in the Mediterranean after their boat from Libya capsized in rough seas off the Italian isle of Lampedusa.
Italian rescue vessels and a helicopter saved 48 refugees from the boat, which had been carrying about 200 people.Twenty bodies were found at the scene, some 70km (40 miles) from Lampedusa, which has struggled to cope with migrants from north Africa.
Officials said the boat left two days ago from Zuwara in western Libya.
The Italian Coast Guard responded to a distress call from the boat at about 0400 local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday.
Three Coast Guard vessels are involved in the search, along with two planes and a helicopter.
"We have rescued 48 people alive from the sea while around 20 bodies have been spotted by the crew of the helicopter," coast guard spokesman Vittorio Alessandro told AFP.
"We are still hoping. Our boats and helicopters have thrown all sorts of lifejackets and lifeboats to allow people to hold on," Mr Alessandro said.
He said the boat had been caught in high seas caused by strong winds and had overturned after passengers panicked.
Italian officials say the rescue was initially hampered by the darkness and bad weather.
The rescue is being run in conjunction with the Maltese authorities.
Survivors were wrapped in blankets and taken to hospital Those on the boat were mostly Eritreans and Somalis, the statement added.
Hundreds of refugees from Libya, many of them migrant workers, have landed in Italy in recent days.
Those rescued were wrapped in thermal blankets and some were taken to hospital.
Italy and Tunisia agreed measures on Tuesday to stop large numbers of illegal immigrants arriving on Lampedusa from Tunisia, which has been in turmoil since a revolution in January.
Italy says it will give six-month residency papers to some 20,000 migrants already in Italy, but new arrivals will be deported.
The accord followed talks between Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Tunisian ministers in Tunis on Monday. Mr Berlusconi also visited Lampedusa last week and pledged to tackle the island's migrant influx.
Italy has moved many migrants from Lampedusa to the mainland, because the migrants on the island outnumbered locals and overwhelmed the holding facility there. Unhygienic conditions, with dozens of migrants sleeping rough outdoors, created a health risk.
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