More than two dozen people thought to be seeking asylum in Australia died Wednesday after their boat smashed into the rocks of Christmas Island, setting off a desperate rescue effort by the Australian authorities. Twenty-seven bodies had been retrieved while another 41 passengers were pulled from the ocean, according to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. One person aboard the small boat reached the island independently, the agency said. The search-and-rescue operation was continuing Wednesday evening, suggesting that the number of people aboard the boat may be higher than earlier estimates by local news media. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that she would return to work from vacation on Wednesday evening to oversee the rescue operations. Officials in Indonesia's Navy and Migration Department were unable to say if the boat had set off from the country, which is the main staging point for asylum seekers heading by sea to Australia. The Customs and Border Protection Service said the boat was sighted foundering northeast of Flying Fish Cove, located on the northern tip of the island. TV and newspaper websites showed grim images of the wooden boat, about 20 feet to 30 feet long, splintered in the sea after slamming into the island's sharp rocks, with people in the water being tossed onto the jagged shoreline. Several people, including women and children, were shown floating among debris in the Indian Ocean. Residents of Christmas Island tried to throw life preservers and other objects to people at sea to help keep them afloat. Australia is a destination for many asylum seekers, attracting people from as far away as Afghanistan and Iraq. Christmas Island is a frequent target. A detention center exists on the island to house hopeful refugees. 