At least 40 migrants have been killed after a shipwreck off the coast of Calabria, Italy, according to the Italian Coast Guard.

The ship, carrying approximately 150 migrants, crashed into rocks near the coast on Wednesday. The Coast Guard said 43 bodies have been recovered, including those of children and women.

The Coast Guard and other rescue teams have been searching for survivors since the incident. So far, only 10 people have been rescued, and the search for more survivors continues.

The tragedy is the latest in a series of shipwrecks that have occurred in the Mediterranean Sea in recent years. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that at least 1,000 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of 2021.

The UNHCR has called for greater efforts to save lives and protect migrants from exploitation and abuse.

“We must do more to save lives, protect people from abuse and exploitation, and ensure safe and legal pathways to Europe,” said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch.

The cause of the shipwreck is still under investigation.

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