1 dead, 10 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia’s coast

TUNIS, Tunisia

One migrant died and 10 others went missing on Sunday when their boat sank off Tunisia’s coast, according to local authorities.

“A boat carrying 22 migrants sank off the coast of the city of Sfax,” Fawzi Al-Masmoudi, a spokesman for the Court of First Instance in Tunisia’s southern city, told Anadolu.

He said Coast Guard had recovered the body of one migrant, while 11 others had been rescued.

The spokesman said rescue efforts are still ongoing to find the missing migrants.

For years, North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe, hoping for a better life.

According to Tunisian authorities, over 37,000 irregular migrants had been arrested in 2022.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi