More than 40 migrants have died in the Mediterranean after suffocating below the deck of an overcrowded boat, the Italian navy said.
'Operation underway... many migrants saved. At least 40 dead,' it said through its Twitter account.
The boat was carrying around 400 people - of whom 320 have been saved - when it was intercepted south of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Footage of the rescue shows two navy vessels helping men, women and children - presumably fleeing war and persecution - off the dangerously overcrowded blue ship.
Tragedy: More than 40 migrants have died in the Mediterranean after suffocating below the deck of an overcrowded boat (pictured)
Rescue: The Italian navy also tweeted that the Cigala Fulgosi was leading the latest rescue mission and 'many people had been saved' from the sinking boat (pictured)
An Italian navy helicopter spotted the boat, which was 'starting to sink', around 21 miles off the Libyan coast.
A ship was sent to its aid at 7am local time (5am GMT) and rescuers discovered the dead migrants when they boarded the vessel, RaiNews reported.
Survivors of such hazardous journeys have told of how traffickers lock migrants who paid less for the journey in the hold underneath.
These migrants endure extreme heat in the ship's hold and there is a high risk of death if it capsizes.
The Italian navy also tweeted that the Cigala Fulgosi was leading the latest rescue mission and 'many people had been saved'.
It released footage of exhausted migrants boarding the rescue boats before they were transported to a much larger naval vessel.
Around 320 people had been rescued but 'they are still counting the victims', said Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.
Saved: Footage released by the Italian Navy showed people being rescued from the dangerously overcrowded boat around 21 miles off the coast of Libya
Mayday: 'Operation underway... many migrants saved. At least 40 dead,' the Italian Navy tweeted today
Disaster: Italy's Interior Minister said 320 people has been saved and transported to the Fulgosi but 'they are still counting the victims'
Navy spokesman Costantino Fantasia said the deceased migrants were 'presumably in the hold' could not confirm this as the operation was ongoing.
The navy co-ordinated the rescue of 1,700 people on Tuesday alone. It rescued about 50 migrants from a rubber dinghy on Wednesday, but as many others were never found.
Another 200 are feared dead after their boat capsized off Libya on 5 April. Hundreds were rescued from that boat by the Irish navy.
More than 101,700 migrants have arrived in Italy by boat since the start of the year, with at least 2,040 others dying on the crossing, according to the latest figures compiled by the International Organization for Migration.
The EU said Friday that Europe was facing the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
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