Eleven Bodies Recovered After Migrant Boat Sinks Off Tunisia

Tunisian authorities have recovered the bodies of 11 migrants after a boat carrying 15 people sank off the country’s southeastern coast while attempting to reach Italy.

Three people remain missing, while one survivor has been rescued, according to Tunisia’s National Guard. Search-and-rescue teams continued operations on Sunday, using boats and helicopters to scour the waters for the missing passengers.

The boat reportedly sank off Zarzis, near Tunisia’s border with Libya, after setting out early Thursday with 15 people on board. The migrants were predominantly young people from the Ben Guerdane area in southeastern Tunisia.

The sole survivor reportedly spent about 48 hours adrift at sea before being picked up by a commercial vessel.

Among those aboard were seven members of the same family, while another passenger was travelling with his pregnant wife, according to Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights.

The recovery operation has involved units from Tunisia’s coast guard, navy, maritime customs and civil protection services. Two helicopters from the National Guard and army have also been deployed as authorities continue searching for the three people still unaccounted for.

The tragedy has triggered anger in Ben Guerdane, where residents and young people gathered to demand faster search operations for the missing passengers. Police used tear gas to disperse some of the protesters, according to Reuters.

The incident highlights the continuing dangers faced by people attempting to cross the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Migrants and asylum seekers frequently attempt the journey from North Africa to Europe in small or overcrowded vessels that can be vulnerable to mechanical failure, rough seas and capsizing.

The latest disaster also comes amid continuing debate over Tunisia’s role in Europe’s efforts to curb irregular migration across the Mediterranean. Human rights organisations have criticised European support for Tunisian migration-control operations, alleging that migrants and asylum seekers have faced serious abuses in the country.

Authorities have pledged to continue the search until the remaining missing people are found.

For families in Ben Guerdane and Zarzis, however, the operation has become a desperate wait for news as the death toll from the latest Mediterranean crossing continues to rise.