At least five killed, seven missing after migrant boat capsizes off Tunisian coast

At least five people have been killed and seven others are missing after their Europe-bound migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast, reported state news agency (TAP), on Monday (August 14). Over 20 migrants have also been rescued, according to media reports.

What happened?

Coastguard units in the Tunisian city of Sfax, “recovered the bodies of 5 migrants and rescued 23 people, while 7 others are missing, after a boat carrying mostly Tunisians but also sub-Saharan Africans sank off Sfax’s Sidi Mansour,” reported TAP.

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Meanwhile, court spokesman Faouzi Masmoudi, in the city of Sfax, told AFP, that “35 people, most of them Tunisians”, including women and children, were on board the boat. Among those killed was at least one child and two women, said the judicial official.

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The AFP report citing the Tunisian official said that the boat sank “less than an hour after departure”. The judicial official also told the news agency that theyhave launched an investigation into the latest shipwreck, as search operations were underway.

Rise in number of migrant boats

The latest incident comes amid a spike in the number of Europe-bound central Mediterranean migrant crossings from North Africa which is said to be the world’s deadliest, according to the United Nations.

According to the Tunisian coastguard, two citizens, including an eight-month-old infant, died after their boat sank on Saturday (August 12). The vessel was said to have been carrying 20 Tunisians when it sank around 2:00 am (local time) and was around 120 metres from the country’s coast in Gabes, said the officials.

ALSO READ |At least two dead, including infant, 5 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

Earlier this month, Mouhamed Borhen Chamtouri, a commander of the coast guard in Sfax, told AFPthat this month the force had intercepted about 3,000 migrants in just 10 days, out of which, 90 per cent were from other parts of Africa. The recent spike has also been attributed to favourable weather conditions in May and June.

The eastern Tunisian port city of Sfax, which is located about 130 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa, has become a key port for Europe-bound migrant boats.

(With inputs from agencies)

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