At least 27 asylum seekers were killed on Wednesday after their wooden fishing vessel slammed into rocks on Christmas Island in the sea off the Australian coast. According to media reports, the boat carrying up to 80 people crashed into jagged rocks near Flying Fish Cove about 6 am local time. Australian Customs and Border Protection said, forty one people have been rescued from the water and another person made it to the shore. The search and rescue operation was on suggesting the number of people aboard the boat may be higher than earlier estimates.