Two minors die on migrant boat crossing to Italy

Two minors were found dead Friday on a migrant boat carrying nearly 40 people in the Mediterranean Sea and a search was underway for a woman reported missing from the vessel, Italy's coast guard said. Thirty-six people were found alive on the boat, which had been reportedly disabled by an explosion, in waters off Malta, the coast guard said. It was not immediately clear how the minors had died.

Some of the survivors were carried on stretchers, appearing to have suffered severe skin burns. Such injuries are common on migrant boats and are caused by the toxic mixture of leaked fuel and seawater. A coast guard aircraft and vessel were searching for the woman reported missing. The ages of the two dead minors were not made public.