Twelve illegal migrants died early after the boat they were travelling on took on water as it neared the Sicilian coast.
The Italian coast guard and border patrol rescued another 92 people from the sinking ship, 12 of whom were hospitalised.
The 30-foot-old wooden boat was spotted about 600 feet from Cape Rosello, near the city of Agrigento.
Rescue teams responded and discovered 12 bodies, including two women and a 15-year-old girl.
The nationalities of the migrants was not clear.
The rugged Sicilian coast is a common destination for would-be migrants from north Africa - as well as the Middle East and elsewhere.
While thousands of illegal migrants come ashore each year, most of them do not stay in Italy but travel on to northern European countries instead.
The deaths today brought to at least 17 the number of people who died in the past two weeks trying to get to Italy.
PA