"With the horrendous seas as they are, the only thing that people could do from the mainland was really throw life jackets back into the water or just advise them to swim away from the rocks."

A boat full of asylum seekers is smashed by violent seas off Australia's Christmas Island, as shown in this Channel 7 TV framegrab of a photo released by The West Australian on December 15, 2010. [Xinhua]

Christmas Island shire president Gordon Thomson told The West Australian he understood it was a very bad situation, but he was unclear of the details.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the incident highlights once again how very dangerous it is for people coming by boat, and why it is so important that the party do everything possible to ensure that these boats do not come in this way.

"It's extremely important that the government make a statement at the earliest opportunity to confirm what has taken place. Because I mean naturally there'll be all sorts of unofficial reports," Morrison told The Australian newspaper on Wednesday.

"I think it's important that some clarity is given to the events as soon as possible. This is a very upsetting event and potentially a very significant tragedy."

The Australian Federal Police has stressed that its response to the tragedy is ongoing, and its priority is to ensure the safety of "all involved" in the incident.

Meanwhile, the National Critical Care Trauma Response Center in Darwin of Northern Territory is on stand-by to assist with the treatment of the injured.

Trauma center executive director Len Notaras said his team is prepared to send doctors to the scene and to transfer patients back to Darwin if necessary.