More than 700 feared dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks: UNHCR

More than 700 migrants may have drowned in Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks south of Italy in the last few days as they tried to reach Europe, the UN refugee agency says.

Carlotta Sami, spokeswoman for UNHCR, told The Associated Press an estimated 100 people are missing from a smugglers' boat that capsized on Wednesday.

Sami said about 550 others are missing from a smuggling boat that capsized on Thursday morning.

She said refugees say that boat, carrying about 670 people, didn't have an engine and was being towed by another smuggling boat before it capsized. About 25 people survived, 79 others were rescued by patrol boats and 15 dead bodies were recovered.

Sami says 45 more bodies were recovered from a shipwreck on Friday and many more are reported missing.