A boat carrying migrants capsized overnight off the coast of Tunisia on Saturday, killing 43 people, the Tunisian Red Crescent said. About 84 migrants were rescued.
Mongi Slim, head of the organization, told the Associated Press (AP) that the boat, which was carrying 127 migrants, left Libya’s coastal city of Zuwara on Friday to cross the Mediterranean towards Italy. He said 46 Sudanese, 16 Eritreans and 12 Bengalis were among the migrants.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said the 84 migrants were rescued by fishermen. He refused to confirm the drowning of the other migrants.
Libya is a frequent starting point for migrants making the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean. Several shipwrecks from smugglers’ boats with migrants have occurred in recent weeks, as attempts to reach Europe are becoming more common in warmer summer weather.
Last week, Tunisian coastguards found seven bodies on the beaches of Djerba, an island off the south coast. They were buried in the cemetery of migrants in Zarzis, Tunisia, who died in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the head of the Red Crescent launched an urgent conversation about the fate of hundreds of migrants who escaped death because his organization has no way of providing housing.
“The three centers in Zarzis are full and can not protect more people. We also have 380 other migrants in confinement in Djerba with nowhere to go,” Slim said.
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