Milan, Italy (CNN) -- Rescue crews continued their search Thursday for more than 200 people after the boat they were in capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat was carrying about 300 people, survivors told rescue officials, according to Italian Coast Guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro. It sank Tuesday about 62 kilometers (39 miles) west off Lampedusa in Maltese waters, the Italian Coast Guard said. By Thursday, officials had rescued 53 people, and recovered 15 to 20 bodies, he said. "We are following with sorrow and concern what is happening in Lampedusa," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said. Many of the survivors came from African countries, such as Eritrea, Somalia and Niger, the Italian daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera said. Many others were fleeing the war in Libya, the newspaper said.
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Survivors say the boat was carrying about 300 people
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It capsizes off Lampedusa in Maltese waters
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53 people have been rescued
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Many of them came from African countries, newspaper reports
Some 2,000 other African migrants have arrived on the island after sailing from the @placeholder coast, the agency said.