51 feared drowned as boat sinks off Tunisia coast
At least 4 migrants were found dead and 51 were missing after a ship carrying migrants sank in Tunisian waters.
A judicial official stated that a boat carrying migrants sank off in the country’s island of Kerkennah noting that all those onboard were sub-Saharan African, according to Saudi-backed news website Al Arabiya, August 7.
The makeshift boat carrying 57 migrants left a beach north of Tunisian city Sfax, a survivor’s testimony noted.
Tunisia’s interior minister said that the Tunisian coastguard has recovered 901 bodies of migrants who have drowned off the country’s coast dating from January 1 to July 20 of this year.
An unprecedented number of migrants have died as a result ships sinking recently. 5 Moroccan migrants, amongst many making a dangerous attempt to reach Spain, died due to their vessel sinking on July 26th.
The Moroccan navy stated that from the period of July 10 to 17, they had to pull nearly 900 migrants to safety. The Spanish coastguard has also played a part in the rescue mission, carrying 84 migrants off the Canary Islands and preventing them from drowning in July of this year.
Tunisia has seen a record wave of migration in 2023 and tragedies of boats of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa heading to Italian coasts sinking have been a regular occurrence.
The North African country has replaced Libya as the region’s main departing point for those fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa in the hope for a better life in Europe.
AL ARABIYA
