ROME, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Italian authorities have picked up around 51 illegal immigrants, mostly Tunisians, travelling in a sailing boat off the Sicilian coast, local police said Wednesday.

The passengers called for help after their 16-metre (52.4 feet) vessel was damaged in the Sicilian Channel, the strait which separates the Italian coast from Africa.

Coastguards picked them up early Tuesday around 40 kilometres (24.8 miles) offshore from the town of Mazara del Vallo.

A total of 23,600 illegal immigrants tried to enter Italy in January to September this year compared to 14,200 for the same period in 2007, the Italian Interior Ministry said.