At least 10 people died and as many as 40 were feared missing when a small boat packed with illegal immigrants sank off Sicily on Saturday, prompting Italy to call for greater co-operation to fight human trafficking.
"What happened today is not only a tragedy but nothing less than a crime," Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said in a statement. "And if we don't manage to punish crimes they repeat themselves and tragedies repeat themselves too."
The boat, a 10-metre-long wooden vessel believed to have left from Libya, sank at about 3:30 am (0030 GMT) around 10 miles (16 km) off the southern island of Lampedusa. Coastguard officials said 70 people had been rescued and 10 bodies, including four women, had been recovered.
Lampedusa, between Sicily and Libya, has become a gateway for illegal immigrants and refugees who leave north Africa in an attempt to enter the European Union.