LAMPEDUSA, Italy (Reuters) -At least 26 people died in a migrant shipwreck on Wednesday off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa and 60 survivors were brought ashore, the coastguard said, warning more bodies could be missing as search operations continue.

Italian authorities searched Thursday for migrants missing at sea after two crowded boats sank off the island of Lampedusa, killing at least 27 people.

As of Wednesday, 38,263 migrants have arrived on Italy's shores this year, with 675 deaths on the central Mediterranean route so far.