At least 14 people from sub-Saharan African countries have drowned off Tunisia as they tried to reach Europe by boat in the latest tragedy on the Mediterranean Sea.
Tunisia’s coastguard said in a statement on Wednesday that officers the previous night had intercepted “a group whose boat had sunk, rescuing 54 people of various sub-Saharan African nationalities and recovering 14 bodies”.
Faouzi Masmoudi, a spokesman for the court in charge of the investigation, told AFP the dead were from two sunken migrant boats.
Masmoudi said three refugees died and 34 were rescued in one sinking on Tuesday, followed Wednesday by 11 deaths in a separate incident with 20 rescued.
No other information was immediately available.
Hundreds of people have drowned off Tunisia in recent months as attempted crossings from Tunisia and Libya to Italy have increased.
The coastline at Sfax in east-central Tunisia has become a major departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East for a shot at a better life in Europe.
Life in Tunisia has progressively worsened since President Kais Saied said on February 21 that migration from sub-Saharan Africa aimed to change Tunisia’s national identity.
Source: Aljazeera.com
