<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">At least 27 migrants died after their boat sank at dawn off the Italian coastal city of Crotone in the southern region of Calabria, Italian media reported on Sunday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>News agency ANSA said at least 30 people were believed to have drowned.</div><div><br></div><div>The search for survivors was continuing, hampered by stormy seas.</div><div>AGI news agency quoted a rescue worker as saying a baby of just a few months old was among the victims.</div><div><br></div><div>It said the migrants' vessel was overloaded and had split apart because of the violent waves.</div><div><br></div><div>Italian coast guards declined to comment when contacted by AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest such tragedy comes just days after the hard-right government pushed through parliament a controversial new law on rescuing migrants.</div><div><br></div><div>Far-right president Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the post-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, won power in October, partly on a promise to stem the flow of migrants reaching Italian shores.</div><div><br></div><div>The new law forces migrant aid vessels to make just one rescue attempt at a time, which critics say risks increasing the number of drownings in the central Mediterranean.</div><div><br></div><div>The route is considered the most dangerous crossing in the world for people seeking asylum in Europe.</div><div><br></div><div>A large number of people fleeing conflict and poverty for what they hope will be a better life in Europe cross from Africa via Italy. Source: AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>