Two fishermen died and three went missing after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Asturias in Northern Spain shortly after midday on Thursday.

The "Mar Nosso" which had a crew of 12, overturned as it was 20 miles off the coast and making its way to the port of Aviles, although the cause of the accident is not known yet.

A nearby boat, the "Mar de Galicia" alerted the authorities and was able to rescue seven crew members from the water.

Two of the survivors who were suffering from severe hypothermia were taken to hospital in the nearby city of Gijon, along with two others who were also affected to a lesser degree.

The remaining three survivors were suffering no serious ill effects, but were taken to hospital for examination.

Two bodies have been recovered from the sea and the Maritime Rescue team is searching for the three missing seamen with the help of local fishermen.

Mar Nosso, a 40-year-old trawler, was the third fishing boat to sink off the north of Spain with loss of life in just over a month.

On March 10, eight fishermen died when the Portuguese boat "Santa Ana" was lost off the coast of Asturias. Five people died when the vessel "Mar de Marin" was lost following a collision with a cargo vessel in the estuary of the River Vigo on April 1.