Rome - (AFP) - A pregnant woman has died and at least 22 people, including children, are missing after a ship sank in the Mediterranean , Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday.

The rescue ship "Geo Parents" of the non-governmental humanitarian organization was able to rescue 71 people, including a four-month-old baby, after the ship sank Monday off the Libyan coast.

"Yesterday we faced our worst nightmare that turned reality," team captain Riccardo Gatti said in a statement.

The boat was sinking and many people were in the water when GeoParents arrived on the scene after receiving a distress call.

Doctors Without Borders said a pregnant woman was brought on board but desperate attempts to save her from death failed.

More than 22 people are still missing, according to information collected from survivors.

Two women said they lost their children at sea, while another young woman lost her little brother.

An infant was resuscitated on board before being transported in a medical emergency, along with his mother, to Malta, while the other survivors remained on board the GeoParents.

"The survivors are exhausted, many have swallowed large amounts of seawater, and many are hypothermic after spending many hours in the water," said Stephanie Hofstetter, MSF's head of the medical team on board.

"At least 10 people, most of them women, are suffering from burns and need additional treatment," she added.

The central Mediterranean is considered the most dangerous migration route in the world, and about 27,000 people have crossed into Italy by sea from the coasts of North Africa since the beginning of the year, compared to less than 20,000 people during the same period in 2021, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior.