Italian rescuers ferry migrants to the shores of Lampedusa island after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

Authorities saved 56 people, including a pregnant woman, but dozens more are missing.

So far the coast guard has found one body and is conducting an ongoing search for more.

According to survivor accounts, there were about 100 people on the boat, which set sail from Tunisia.

Lampedusa's mayor lamented the lives lost and said more needed to be done to protect migrants who make the dangerous journey to Europe via overcrowded vessels.

Many die on their journeys due to shipwrecks, harsh sea conditions and lack of food and water.

The island, south of Sicily, was in the media spotlight last year as it struggled to deal with thousands of North African migrants fleeing upheaval during the Arab Spring.