CAIRO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - At least 22 illegal migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean in two separate incidents off the Italian coast and the death toll could be more than 140, the Egyptian state news agency MENA said on Thursday.

Eleven Egyptians were drowned when their boat capsized in bad weather off the Sicilian town of Siracusa, the agency said, quoting Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed el-Koweisni.

Koweisni said the Italian authorities believed that another boat carrying 160 people thought to be Egyptian migrants had sunk off the south Italian province of Calabria and that rescue services have recovered 30 survivors and 11 bodies.

The Italian authorities rescued seven other passengers from the first boat and found them to be aged between 13 and 18 years. That boat is thought to have left the Egyptian port of Alexandria with 24 people aboard and the Italian authorities are looking for those believed to be missing, he added.

The survivors initially said they were Palestinians without travel documents but Egyptian consular officials established that they were Egyptians and paid 25,000 Egyptian pounds ($4,600) each to the organisers of the trip.

Koweisni said the Italians believe the second boat was an Egyptian vessel named the al-Rizq ala Allah and that it sailed from Libya carrying Egyptians trying to migrate to Europe.

Twelve of the 30 survivors were minors and they have escaped from the home where they were taken after the rescue, he added.

The Egyptian agency did not say when the incidents happened.

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