ROME - A boat carrying about 500 Libyan refugees was stranded in waters off the southern Italian port of Lampedusa on Sunday, but all on board were rescued, an Italian news agency reported.

The boat was at first heading for Malta but hit rocks and ran aground when being escorted by a Maltese patrol ship toward the island of Lampedusa, according to the official ANSA news agency.

Many of those aboard jumped into the sea out of panic, the report said.