TUNIS (Reuters) – At least 34 migrants are unaccounted for and two have tragically lost their lives after their vessel sank off the coast of Tunisia while attempting to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, as reported by the Tunisian national guard on Friday.
The ill-fated boat, which departed from the shores of Libya, was carrying a total of 70 individuals, with only 34 being successfully rescued near the town of Zarzis in southern Tunisia.
In a separate incident earlier this week, the Tunisian coast guard recovered the bodies of five migrants, further highlighting the dangers faced by those seeking to cross the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean.
As the weather conditions have improved in recent weeks, there has been an uptick in the number of African migrants, including Tunisians, embarking on risky journeys in overcrowded boats in an attempt to reach Italy.
According to a rights group report released last month, a record-breaking 1,313 migrants were reported to have either perished or gone missing off the Tunisian coast in the previous year, underscoring the persistent and harrowing migrant crisis facing the North African nation.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by David Gregorio)
