Hundreds feared dead after boats capsize in Mediterranean

Over 400 refugees are thought to have perished in the Mediterranean sea after their boats capsized on the way to Europe, a Somali ambassador has said.

The Independent UK reports that the refugees were fleeing to Italy from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea in four boats that left Egypt, ill-equipped for the journey.

Details of the accident remain unclear, with Italian president Sergio Mattarella saying that several hundred people appear to have died in the incident.

He said Europe needed to reflect in the face of "yet another tragedy in the Mediterranean in which, it seems, several hundred people have died."

Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni later confirmed reports of the deaths in Egyptian waters, but said he was waiting for more details.

"What is sure is that we are again with a tragedy in the Mediterranean, exactly one year after the tragedy we had ... in Libyan waters," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told reporters, referring to the deaths of hundreds of migrants off Libya in April 2015.

"This is another strong reason for Europe to commit itself not to build walls," he added.

However, the Italian coastguard said earlier they knew nothing about the reported disaster, and Médecins Sans Frontières have been unable to confirm the news.

Earlier on Monday morning, the Italian coastguard said 108 refugees had been saved and six bodies recovered from a semi-submerged rubber dinghy on Sunday.

Separately, 33 refugees were rescued overnight off eastern coast of Sicily. 

The reported tragedy comes almost a year after a fishing boat crowded with refugees sank in the Mediterranean, with around 800 people trapped inside.