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Italian PM Matteo Renzi has led calls for more European Union action on sea migration after the latest deadly capsize of a boat in the Mediterranean.
Demanding a summit on the issue, Mr Renzi said trafficking was “a plague in our continent” and bemoaned the lack of European solidarity.
The 20m (70ft) long boat was believed to be carrying up to 700 migrants, and only 28 survivors have been rescued.
EU foreign ministers are expected to address the issue at a meeting later.
The Italian coastguard has just confirmed that the boat carrying the 24 coffins of victims of the sinking will arrive in Malta.
Human smugglers are taking advantage of the political crisis in Libya to use it as a launching point for boats carrying migrants who are fleeing violence or economic hardship in Africa and the Middle East.
Up to 1,500 migrants are now feared to have drowned this year alone.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the latest sinking could amount to the largest loss of life during a migrant crossing to Europe.
’21st Century slavery’
Mr Renzi singled out Libya as the key problem, saying it was the starting point for about 90% of the migrants reaching Italy by sea.
He said more rescue boats was not the issue, rather it was stopping the boats from departing.
Analysis: BBC Europe editor Katya Adler
The EU had been accused of being too slow to react to the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean. Now it is scrambling to respond.
A routine foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg will be focused on the rising death toll. There is talk of a possible emergency summit of EU leaders by the end of the week.
Governments across Europe have expressed dismay at Sunday’s huge loss of life. But while the EU talks, the Mediterranean is turning into a graveyard.
The crisis highlights a fundamental weakness in the EU. Managing the situation requires political will, co-ordination and money from all the bloc’s 28 countries. Not easy to achieve.
Some Italian politicians had called for a naval blockade but Mr Renzi said this would only help the smugglers as there would be more ships to rescue migrants.
Calling trafficking “the slavery of the 21st Century”, he added: “It is unthinkable that in the face of such a tragedy, there isn’t the feeling of solidarity which Europe has shown in other instances.”
BBC