Two migrants dead, 20 missing in Mediterranean after boat sinks

NGO ResQship rescued another 22 people and took them to the Italian island of Lampedusa

At least two migrants have died and around 20 others are missing after their vessel sank in the Mediterranean between Tunisia and Italy, German aid group ResQship told AFP Sunday.

The group's ship, the Nadir, rescued another 22 people and took them to the Italian island of Lampedusa, said Stefen Seyfert of ResQship.

Describing the operation earlier Sunday on Twitter, the group said that when they arrived at the scene of the wreck, the migrants had already been in the water for about two hours.

As well as rescuing 22 people, they had recovered two bodies, they said.

"This is an unspeakable tragedy that could -- and should -- have been prevented by a humanitarian approach to migration instead of barb-wiring the European borders," the group added.

This is just the latest in a series of disasters in the Mediterranean Sea, where dozens of migrants attempting the crossing have drowned and dozens more have had to be rescued from flimsy vessels.

Tunisia's shores lie only about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Lampedusa.

They are increasingly being used as a springboard for the perilous attempts by West Africans, Sudanese and others to reach safety and better lives in Europe.