FORTY-ONE refugees have died in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, survivors told local media today, in the latest loss of life on the perilous Mediterranean migration route.

According to Italian broadcaster RAI and that Ansa news agency, the four survivors were rescued by Maltese-flagged bulk carrier the Rimona in the Straits of Sicily before being transferred to the Italian coastguard, which brought them to Lampedusa.

The island, which lies closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, is a frequent destination for migrant smugglers and has seen its migrant holding centre repeatedly overcrowded with new arrivals this summer.