At least 20 die as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
- Last updated: December 24, 2020 | 15:25
Gulf Today Report
The coastguard on Thursday retrieved the bodies of 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa when their boat sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
A Tunisian security official said that the coastguard rescued five people and was searching for about 20 others who were still unaccounted for.
READ MORE
More than 100 killed in latest ethnic massacre in Ethiopia
Anti-Myanmar hate speech flares in Thailand over virus
The coastline near the Tunisian port city of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and searching for a better life in Europe.
"The boat sank about six miles from the coast of Sfax. Twenty bodies were recovered, five others were rescued, and all are from sub-Saharan Africa," the security official, Ali Ayari, said.
Around 45 people were on the boat when it sank, he added.