12 Tunisians dead as boat capsizes off Djerba

Tunis — 

At slightest 12 Tunisians including 3 children were recovered dormant aft a migrant vessel capsized disconnected the seashore of the southeastern land of Djerba connected Monday, a judicial authoritative said.

The vessel went down astatine dawn and 29 radical were rescued, Medenine tribunal spokesperson Fethi Baccouche told AFP, adding 5 men and 4 women were among the dead, and that the origin of the sinking remained unknown.

The Tunisian National Guard said it was alerted by 4 migrants who swam backmost ashore.

Tunisia and neighboring Libya person go cardinal departure points for migrants seeking amended lives successful Europe, often risking unsafe Mediterranean crossings.

The exodus is fueled by Tunisia's stagnant economy, with lone 0.4% of maturation successful 2023 and unemployment soaring.

The North African state has besides been shaken by governmental tensions, aft President Kais Saied orchestrated a sweeping powerfulness drawback successful July 2021.

Each year, tens of thousands of radical effort to marque the crossing, with Italy — whose Lampedusa land is lone 150 kilometers (90 miles) distant — often their archetypal larboard of call.

Since January 1, astatine slightest 103 makeshift boats person capsized and 341 bodies person been recovered disconnected Tunisia's coast, the authorities says.

Last year, much than 1,300 radical died oregon disappeared past twelvemonth successful shipwrecks disconnected Tunisia, according to the FTDES rights group.

The International Organization for Migration has said much than 30,309 migrants person died successful the Mediterranean successful the past decade, including much than 3,000 past year.