At least seven migrants have died and 500 were rescued from an overturned boat off the Libyan coast.
In a statement, the Italian Navy indicated the death toll was provisional as rescue operations were ongoing.
A migrant boat in distress was spotted by a navy patrol unit just before it overturned because of "the high number of people on board," the navy said.
Its patrol vessel rushed to the scene with lifeboats and life jackets. Further rescue units, including a helicopter, were immediately deployed to support rescue attempts.
Migrant crossings to Italy have increased this week. Late on Tuesday, the Italian Coast Guard said 5,600 people had been picked up from the sea since Monday, in 38 separate interventions.
Speaking before the latest rescue, IOM Rome spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo told DPA there had been 39,600 migrant landings in Italy since the start of 2016, broadly stable from the same period of 2015.
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