ROME, Aug 9 (Reuters) - One person drowned when a boat carrying 25 migrants from North Africa capsized in the seas off the island of Sicily, the Italian coastguard said on Thursday.

The boat, which overturned 40 miles off the Sicilian coast, was first spotted by a Russian cargo ship. The surviving 24 migrants were then picked up by a coastguard vessel.

Thousands of migrants desperate for a better life in Europe land on Italian shores each year after making treacherous sea crossings in overcrowded, rickety boats.

Arrivals usually increase during the summer months when the weather is warmer and the seas are calmer, though Italian police have said their numbers have fallen sharply this year.

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