Five sailors have drowned off the coast of Italy after a tugboat headed for Albania sank in rough seas, leaving just one survivor, the coast guard said Thursday.

The Italian-flagged "Franco P" sent out a distress call late Wednesday, saying it was taking on water some 85 kilometres (53 miles) off the coast of Bari, sparking a rescue mission and request for aid from all vessels in the surrounding area.

The search for four Italians and a Tunisian "led to the recovery of four bodies, and the identification at sea of another one which is currently being recovered," said the Italian coast guard in a statement.

The captain of the "Franco P", which had been towing a floating platform, was pulled from the water alive overnight, it said.