More than 300 people are thought to have drowned while trying to make the short but perilous trip to Italy from Libya, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed on Wednesday after speaking with survivors of the most recent tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea.

Nine survivors landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa, out of 200 who had left Africa, said UNHCR's spokesman in Italy, Carlotta Sami, on Twitter: "Nine were saved after four days at sea. The other 203 were swallowed by the waves." Her tweet came before the death toll was increased as more details emerged.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the surviving migrants spoke French, and were likely from West African nations such as Ivory Coast and Senegal. The migrants had left Libya in at least three, perhaps four, rubber dinghies with no food or water, Sami said. The boats did not have motors powerful enough to face high waves and began to sink, she added.

"Because of the bad weather conditions, the two dinghies collapsed and the people fell into the sea. Many drowned," IOM official Flavio Di Giacomo said. Di Giacomo told the press that 29 migrants had died of exposure before the boats sank.

Sami said the survivors, who have been traveling since Sunday, appeared to be in good medical condition. This latest incident follows many similar incidents and rescue operations carried out by the Italian coast guard.

es/sms (AFP, dpa)