TUNIS: A civil defense official told AFP on Thursday that 83 people had been rescued after two boats collapsed off the coast of central Tunisia, killing 27 migrants, including women and children.
According to Zied Sdiri, chief of civil defense in the city of Sfax, the dead and rescued passengers were all from sub-Saharan African nations and were headed for Europe after being discovered off the Kerkennah Islands off central Tunisia.
The Tunisian National Guard, in charge of the coast guard, said that searches were still being conducted for additional potential missing passengers. Since Italy’s island of Lampedusa is only 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Tunisia, it is frequently the first port of call for irregular migrants attempting to enter Europe. Tens of thousands of people try the treacherous Mediterranean passage every year, and the risks are increased by inclement weather. In recent years, there have been numerous shipwrecks.
At least 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Sfax on December 18, and five more are still unaccounted for.
15 African migrants were reported dead or missing after the Coast Guard rescued 27 of them earlier on December 12 in Jebeniana, north of Sfax.
The Tunisian human rights organization FTDES has reported that “between 600 and 700” migrants have been dead or reported missing in shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia since the year began. In 2023, about 1,300 migrants went missing or killed.
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