At least 8 migrants lost their lives today, Monday, off the coast of Tunisia. Conversely, the Tunisian Coast Guard units managed to rescue 29 other individuals aboard the ill-fated vessel.
A security official stated to Reuters news agency that the incident occurred off the coast of the Awabed area of Sfax, a major departure point for numerous irregular migration boats attempting to cross the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean towards European shores. The official confirmed that all the victims and survivors were of foreign nationalities.
It is worth noting that Tunisia, alongside neighboring Libya, has become a central departure point in the North Africa region for desperate migrants seeking to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, especially since some of its coasts are less than 150 kilometers away from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
In the context of similar incidents, the past month of March witnessed the disappearance of 40 migrants and the discovery of six bodies after a boat that had set sail from the Tunisian coast towards the island of Lampedusa sank. In a separate incident, another group of 40 migrants who had departed from Sfax aboard metal boats reached the Italian island.
On December 18th last year, at least 20 migrants from sub-Saharan countries perished in another ship sinking off the coast of Sfax (located in central-eastern Tunisia).
The Tunisian Coast Guard had announced on December 12th that on the previous day, it had managed to rescue 27 other migrants from sub-Saharan countries who had sailed from Jebiniana area of Sfax Governorate. However, 15 other individuals were found deceased, while others remain missing. At the end of October of last year, 15 unidentified bodies were found floating off the coast of the Tunisian city Mahdia. A month before that, the Coast Guard rescued 36 migrants, including 20 Tunisians and 16 Egyptians, after their disabled boat drifted towards Nabeul Governorate.