Seven people died when an inflatable boat carrying 40 would-be immigrants to Europe capsized off Tunisia's coast on Thursday, the news agency AAP reported a Tunisian official saying.

AAP said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Tunisian navy picked up survivors off the south-eastern coastline.

Although the official said that seven people had died, the Achourouk de Tunis daily said the boat was carrying about 100 people of various African nationalities when it capsized. It says 17 people were killed, 33 rescued and 50 were reported missing.

The report says the boat took off for Italy from Libya three days before it went down.

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