"There are 93 victims, including three children and two pregnant women," said Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who flew to the remote island of Lampedusa near where the tragedy happened.

Rescue divers later said they had identified at least 40 more bodies in and around the sunken wreck at a depth of around 40 metres, just a few hundred metres from the shore. One woman initially thought dead and brought back to the port was revived by medical personnel on the dock. There were fears that the final toll could rise further to 300 or more people since rescuers said that only 151 survivors had been plucked from the water more than 11 hours after the disaster. "Seeing the bodies of the children was a tragedy. We have run out of coffins," said Pietro Bartolo, a doctor.