Five migrants have died and more than 500 rescued after an overcrowded fishing boat capsized off the coast of Libya, the Italian navy said.

Women and children were among those rescued, but no details of the migrants' nationalities have been given.

An Italian navy patrol boat approached the vessel to hand out life jackets after spotting that it was in difficulty, but the boat flipped over before it could begin a rescue, a statement said.

A helicopter and several rubber motor boats were used in the rescue operation.

It follows the rescue of around 5,600 migrants on Monday and Tuesday by Italy's coastguard, and officials fear numbers will increase as conditions continue to improve.

Over the past two years, more than 320,000 migrants have arrived on Italian shores by boat and an estimated 7,000 have died in the Mediterranean in a bid to reach Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.

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