More than 43 migrants feared drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia
The Tunisian navy rescued a further 84, said Tunisia's Red Crescent head Mongi Slim. The migrants had set off from the Libyan port of Zuwara and attempted to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Summer weather has seen an increase in migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa.
The boat, which set sail on Monday night, carried people from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh, the Red Crescent said. The vessel capsized after its engine broke down. According to Tunisia's defence ministry, those rescued from the Tunisian fishing port of Zarzis were aged between three and 40.
The Tunisian Red Crescent gave them food and drink while looking for space to house them for the required Covid isolation period, local media radio reported. Libya has been a key transit point for migrants from many countries trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean. Libya is a frequent departure point for Europe-bound migrants making the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants and refugees have died at sea while reaching Europe from Africa. Human smugglers launch vessels, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats, crowded with migrants who hope to reach European shores to seek asylum. Some are fleeing conflict or persecution, while many of the hundreds of thousands are fleeing poverty.
Almost 19,800 migrants arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year against just over 6,700 in the same period last year, Italian interior ministry figures show. But Tunisia has also become a major hub and has called on the European Union to deal with migration by helping fight poverty in Africa.
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