27 migrants, including women and children, died after two boats sank off the coast of central Tunisia. Apart from this, 83 people were rescued alive. An official of the country’s civil defense told AFP on Thursday.
The head of civil defense, Zied Sadiri, said the passengers rescued alive and dead were all citizens of sub-Saharan Africa and were traveling to Europe. Bodies and survivors were found off the coast of the Karkennah Islands in central Tunisia.
In addition, the National Guard, which oversees the coast guard in Tunisia, said the search is still underway to find the other missing passengers.
According to AFP, Tunisia is an important transit point for migrants trying to enter Europe. Usually their first destination is the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is only 150 km from the country. Every year thousands of people try to cross the dangerous Mediterranean Sea, where there has been a recent increase in boat capsizing. Bad weather made the journey more dangerous.
On December 18, at least 20 sub-Saharan migrants died and five others went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Sfax. Earlier on December 12, the Coast Guard rescued 27 African migrants off Zebeniana, north of Sfax. But 15 people are reported dead or missing.
According to Tunisian human rights organization FTDES, since the beginning of this year, “600 to 700” migrants have been killed or disappeared in boat capsizing off the coast of Tunisia. More than 1,300 migrants died or went missing in 2023.