Fishing boat

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

The Koo's 102 purse seine fishing boat is a 62 metre vessel built in Taiwan in 2005 but carries the Marshall Islands flag.

Seven crew members evacuated the vessel and there are no injuries reported.

The fire first appeared in the bridge and forward area.

The ship has the capacity to carry 900 tonnes of fish.

Koo's Fishing Company is Taiwan-based but registers and bases a number of its fishing vessels in the Marshall Islands.

Irish naval vessel Le Niamh was one of several ships requested by the Italian coast guard to speed to the rescue of the overturned boat shortly before noon, Irish Capt. Donal Gallagher told The Associated Press by phone.

Gallagher said that according to preliminary reports some 150 migrants were spotted in the water after the smugglers' boat, which was estimated to have been carrying 600 migrants, overturned. "An Italian (military) helicopter has dropped additional life rafts" into the sea, Gallagher said.