International

Hundreds of people are feared drowned after a fishing boat trying to smuggle migrants to Europe capsized off Libya, the UN refugee agency says.

A major search and rescue operation by air and sea is taking place after the vessel, with up to 700 on board, went down about 120 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.

It is believed to have overturned when migrants moved to one side of the overcrowded boat as a merchant ship approached in the Mediterranean.

At least 28 people were rescued by the ship, while Sky's Enda Brady, in Sicily, said there were reports of some 150 survivors.

The emergency was declared at about midnight and the Italian coastguard and navy are continuing to search for survivors.

The capsizing comes amid a large number of migrants trying to leave Libya for Italian shores.

So far, at least 900 have died trying this year as boats capsized. This includes around 400 who were presumed drowned last week in another shipwreck.

More than 11,000 other migrants have been rescued by Italy's coastguard and other boats.