At least 27 migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defense official reported.
The rescued and deceased passengers, who were found off the Kerkennah Islands, were all from sub-Saharan African countries and were attempting to reach Europe, according to Zied Sdiri, the head of Civil Defense in Sfax.
Search operations are still ongoing for other potential missing passengers, as reported by the Tunisian National Guard, which oversees the coastguard.
Tunisia is a key departure point for irregular migrants aiming to reach Europe, with Italy’s island of Lampedusa, located just 150 kilometers away, often serving as their first port of arrival.
Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing, which has recently seen a surge in shipwrecks, with dangers compounded by adverse weather conditions.
On December 18, at least 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died in a shipwreck off the city of Sfax, with five others still missing.
Earlier, on December 12, the coastguard rescued 27 African migrants near Jebeniana, north of Sfax, but 15 were reported dead or missing.
Since the start of the year, the Tunisian human rights group FTDES has estimated that between 600 and 700 migrants have been killed or gone missing in shipwrecks off Tunisia. In 2023, over 1,300 migrants died or disappeared.
