More than 200 migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean were feared to have drowned on Wednesday after their overcrowded fishing boat capsized off Libya.

The boat, believed to have been carrying around 600 migrants including women and children, ran into difficulty about 15 nautical miles off Libya and sent out a distress call, which was picked up by the coastguard in Sicily.

Coast Guard spokesman Filippo Marini said around 400 people had been rescued from the water while 25 bodies had been recovered.