In Tunisia, a shipwreck off the coast country's Mediterranean coastline has claimed the lives of at least 20 migrants. The incident is reported to have occurred near a popular point of departure for migrants who attempt to reach Europe by boat. The coast guard members who were dispatched to the sinking boat have recovered the bodies of 20 people and rescued 5 people, Tunisia's National Guard said in a statement on Wednesday.
The rescue operation was undertaken 15 miles off the coast north of Sfax. Moreover, the coastline is approximately 81 miles from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Tunisia's efforts to prevent deaths at sea
Notably, in its bid to prevent deaths at sea and combat smugglers and migrants crossing illegally to southern Europe, Tunisia has strengthened the policing of its borders with assistance from Europe. However, incidents of drownings and corpses being discovered have occurred regularly, including last week when authorities found the bodies of nine people who appeared to have drowned at sea along the same stretch of coastline.
The iron boats that migrants and smugglers use to attempt to cross the Mediterranean are often unseaworthy. Though there is no official count, international groups and Tunisian NGOs believe hundreds have perished at sea this year.
What does the UNHCR estimate say?
The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates more than 1,100 have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean off the coasts of Tunisia and Libya. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights believes between 600 and 700 people have died or gone missing off the coast of Tunisia.
More than 19,000 migrants have embarked from Tunisia and arrived in Italy this year, including many who subsequently applied for asylum, according to UNHCR. hat's far fewer than the more than 96,000 who made the journey by the same point in 2023. The majority who arrived in Italy in 2024 have been from Bangladesh, Tunisia and Syria.
There are no official numbers regarding migrants in Tunisia. However, thousands are living in makeshift camps among olive trees near Sfax's coastline.
(With agency inputs)
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