At least 26 migrants died Wednesday when two boats sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island, with around 10 others still missing, the coastguard and UN officials said.

Around 60 people were rescued after the sinkings in the central Mediterranean, a stretch between North Africa and Italy described by the UN as the world's most dangerous sea crossing for migrants.

The two boats had left Tripoli, Libya, earlier in the day, according to the Italian coastguard.

It said one of the boats started taking on water, causing people to climb onto the other boat, which itself then capsized.

"Currently 60 people have been rescued and disembarked in Lampedusa, and (there are) at least 26 victims. The toll is still provisional and being updated," the coastguard said in a statement.

Italy's Red Cross, which manages Lampedusa's........

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