An 8 meter small boat sank in the waters off Lampedusa.
The coast guard patrol boat Cp289 rescued 49 Bangladeshis, Ivorians, Guineans and Senegalese.
According to the migrants, who have already landed on the Favarolo pier, there are people missing.
The statements are currently conflicting and the number of those missing is given as unspecified.
The vessel would have left El Amra at 9pm on Tuesday.
Each of the migrants on board paid 2,000 Tunisian dinars for the crossing to Lampedusa.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA