Hundreds missing as migrant boat capsizes off Libya coast

Rescuers are searching for hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean after the boat they were on capsized off Libya.

Some reports suggest as many as 700 people were on board the overcrowded vessel when it came into difficulty.

The Irish navy told the BBC that one of its boats was involved in the rescue operation and said it feared there had been “a significant loss of life”.

More than 2,000 migrants are said to have died in 2015 trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

Four boats and three helicopters are reported to be involved in Wednesday’s rescue effort.

A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said about 100 migrants had been pulled from the water.

BBC