The Italian Coast Guard said that 17 migrants were rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea today, Sunday, while 30 others are still missing after a boat they were traveling on capsized from Libya in bad weather.

The Coast Guard stated in a statement that rescue operations are ongoing with the support of commercial ships and aerial support from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), while two other commercial ships headed to the area.

The charity organization Mediterranea Saving Humans wrote on Twitter earlier today, Sunday, that according to several sources, a boat traveling towards Italy capsized about 110 miles northwest of Benghazi.

The Alarm Phone organization, another charity that receives calls from migrant boats at risk, also wrote on Twitter that it alerted authorities for the first time yesterday, Saturday, confirming that the boat, which carried 47 people, needed immediate rescue.

The Coast Guard said in the statement that after a commercial ship failed in an initial attempt to rescue the passengers due to bad weather, the Libyan authorities requested assistance from Rome as they lacked the necessary means for relief operations.

Rome then asked the commercial ships present in the area to join the rescue operations.

The statement also pointed out that the boat capsized during an attempt to transfer the migrants to the commercial ship "Froland" this morning, Sunday.

The Coast Guard added that two of those rescued need medical assistance and will be disembarked in Malta before the commercial ship resumes its voyage to Italy.

The Italian Coast Guard also said today, Sunday, that the boat capsized outside the Italian search and rescue area.

Italy’s capacity to rescue migrants at sea has come under scrutiny following the sinking of a ship on February 26 near the southern Calabria region, resulting in at least 79 deaths.

The Coast Guard also said yesterday, Saturday, that more than 1,300 migrants were rescued in three separate operations off the southern tip of Italy, alongside the rescue of 200 others off Sicily.

The number of migrants arriving in Italy has increased, adding pressure on the country’s conservative government, which took power in October of last year pledging to halt the flow of migrants to Italy but has witnessed a sharp rise in migrant numbers this year from both North Africa and Turkey.

About 17,600 people have arrived in Italy this year until Friday compared to six thousand people in the same period in 2022.

Hundreds have also died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.