At least 47 Algerian illegal immigrants who were travelling in two wooden boats to Italy went missing in the Mediterranean Sea, Xinhua said on Monday. Algerian coast guards alerted their counterparts in the Italian islands of Sardinia and Cecily about the incident.

The immigrants, aged between 16 and 39, who hailed from various eastern provinces, sailed from Annaba and Taref in eastern Algeria in two wooden boats, a security official said.

The relatives of the immigrants contacted the coast guards Sunday after they lost contact with the boats. They sailed under difficult weather conditions amid high waves, the source added.

Algeria's coast guards have deployed units to search for the immigrants in coordination with teams from Italy. Hundreds of young Algerians risk their lives every year crossing the Mediterranean on fishing boats for jobs and better living conditions abroad.