Tunisian coast: dead and missing in boat accident

There has been another boat accident off the coast of Tunisia with dead and missing people. A boat with dozens of people on board sank the day before.

According to the authorities, at least four migrants died in another boat accident off the coast of Tunisia. So far, four bodies have been found on the beach in the second largest Tunisian city of Sfax, and three other occupants of the capsized boat are still missing, said a spokesman for the court responsible for the investigation in Sfax. 36 people could therefore be saved.

According to the spokesman, a boat with 37 migrants had already gone down off the coast the day before. Since then, 20 migrants have been missing and 17 have been rescued. The missing came from countries south of the Sahara.

Tunisian coast guard keeps thousands from crossing

The Tunisian Coast Guard announced on Friday that it had prevented more than 14,000 people from crossing to Europe between January 1 and March 31. That is five times as many people as in the same period last year. More than 13,100 migrants came from countries south of the Sahara, the rest were Tunisians. Most of the boats were intercepted off the coast of Sfax and Mahdia provinces. There the coast is only about 150 kilometers away from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, more than 14,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, compared to around 5,300 in the same period last year. Dozens of people die again and again during the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats.