Tunisia: At least 13 migrants missing after boat capsizes
Several people have apparently drowned in an incident off the coast of Tunisia. After their boat capsized, only two people have so far been rescued. Among the missing are minors and a pregnant woman.
At least 13 people are missing after a shipwreck off the Tunisian Mediterranean coast. The occupants of the sunken boat are believed to have been migrants, said Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, to the Reuters news agency.
The boat set out on Thursday morning and was heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa, located approximately 145 kilometres from the Tunisian coast. Only two people were rescued. Those on board were predominantly young people, including minors, as well as seven members of one family and a man together with his pregnant wife.
Search for further missing persons
According to one survivor, people drifted in the water for hours after the boat capsized during the night into Saturday. The second survivor is reportedly in critical condition. The migrants are said to be from southern Tunisia.
Coast guard units, supported by aircraft and the navy, were searching for the missing, the Tunisian National Guard announced. Four bodies had been recovered, though it remained unclear whether they came from the stricken vessel.
The Mediterranean is the world's deadliest migration route
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the central Mediterranean is the deadliest migration route in the world. The number of deaths in the first four months of 2026 more than doubled compared to the same period the previous year. At least 914 migrants have lost their lives or gone missing on this route so far this year.
Tunisia had long been considered one of the main departure points for migrants wishing to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe. Over the past two years, however, the number of departures from Tunisia has declined significantly. This is due to tightened controls by the Tunisian authorities, which are receiving financial and technical support from the European Union and Italy in particular.
With reporting by Sarah Mersch, ARD Rabat
