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Nearly 90 migrants, including children, have been rescued from an overcrowded boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea in an attempt to reach Europe.

Dozens of people crammed onto a rubber boat can be seen jumping into the sea in a video released by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

In a post on X, the non-profit group said they had been performing a rescue in international waters when a boat from the Stability Support Apparatus of Libya began approaching. The vessel, representing various militias from Libya, "triggered fear in people who jumped into water," MSF said.

All 87 people on board were rescued with aerial support from the German non-governmental organization Sea-Watch Crew, and then taken aboard MSF's Geo Barents ship.

"They [the migrants] later told our teams that they preferred to die at sea rather than be pulled back to where they were fleeing from," MSF said.

The United Nations has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.

Italy has urged Tunisia and Libya to do more to stop potential migrants from taking to the sea. It has also clamped down on rescue ships, saying they encourage people to head to Europe - something the charities deny.