Tunisian authorities rescued 34 migrants and found two dead bodies off the North African country's southeastern coast on Friday, March 15, said the National Guard in a statement. Another 34 people are believed to be missing after survivors told them that there were 70 on board before their vessel capsized.
"The floating units of the National Guard in Zarzis (southeastern Tunisia) were able to intercept a crossing attempt of the maritime border, rescuing 34 passengers of different nationalities and recovering two bodies," read the statement. Survivors told authorities they had set sail from "a neighboring country" before their boat capsized.
Tunisia and Libya are the main North African departure points for thousands of irregular migrants, who risk their lives every year in the hopes of having better lives in Europe. The Italian coastguard said on Thursday that it had rescued about 750 refugees in two operations off southern Italy, hours after at least five people died and 33 went missing in an attempted sea crossing from Tunisia. Houssem Jebabli, a Tunisian National Guard official, said the coastguard had stopped 56 boats heading for Italy in two days and detained more than 3,000 refugees, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa.
The International Organization for Migration said 2,498 people died or went missing while trying to cross the central Mediterranean last year – a 75 percent increase from 2022. At least 12,000 refugees who have reached Italy this year set sail from Tunisia, compared with 1,300 in the same period of 2022. Previously, Libya was the main launch pad for refugees from the region.