Migrant boats sink off Tunisia; five dead, at least 33 missing

The Coast Guard rescued 84 others, according to a judicial official

Reuters
Published : 24 March 2023, 05:59 AM
Updated : 24 March 2023, 05:59 AM

Four African migrant boats sank off Tunisia on Wednesday and Thursday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, leaving at least five dead and 33 missing, while the Coast Guard rescued 84 others, a judicial official said.

Judge Faouzi Masmoudi said the boats sank off the coast of Sfax, adding that the frequency of such attempted crossings has increased significantly recently.

The United Nations has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.

Dozens died and 81 people survived when a boat that they had boarded in the Turkish port of Izmir breaks apart near the southern Italian coastal town of Crotone on Feb 26.

On Feb 14, 18 people died, 55 went missing, and seven survived when a boat capsized east of Qasr Al-Akhyar, Libya.