Forty-one migrants have died in a shipwreck off the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in what is now the world’s deadliest migrant crossing.

Four people who survived the disaster told rescuers that they were on a migrant boat that had set off from the Tunisian city of Sfax last Thursday and sank on its way to Europe.

The survivors – three men and a woman – are originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea and reached the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday.

They told rescuers that they were on a seven-metre-long boat carrying 45 people, including three children. Only 15 people are understood to have been wearing life vests.

The boat reportedly sank within hours of leaving after being hit by a large wave. The survivors were rescued by a cargo ship and then transferred to an Italian coast guard vessel.

Sfax, a port city about 130km from Lampedusa, is a popular gateway for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

More than 1 800 people have lost their lives in 2023 in the crossing from North Africa to Europe. Charity groups and Italian patrol boats have rescued another 2,000 people who have arrived on Lampedusa recently.

The most dangerous migrant crossing in the world

More than 17,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean have been recorded by the United Nations (UN) since 2014.

Last month, the EU signed a $118m (R2.2 billion) deal with Tunisia in an effort to curb “irregular” migration.

The far-right administration in Italy has implemented a measure that compels rescue vessels to moor at distant ports, instead of allowing them to offload rescued migrants at locations like Lampedusa or Sicily.