Off the Coast of Tunisia: Several Bodies Recovered After Boat Disaster
The death toll has continued to rise following the boat disaster off the coast of the North African country. Of the 15 passengers, only one person is still missing. The migrants apparently intended to travel to Italy.
Eleven bodies have now been recovered after the boat disaster off the coast of Tunisia. Three people are still missing, according to the coast guard, as reported by the news agency Reuters. The passengers of the sunken boat are said to have been Tunisian migrants who wanted to reach Italy.
According to the latest information, there is so far only one survivor. Initially, two rescued individuals had been reported. Teams from the coast guard, the military and civil protection continued their search for the missing with the support of two helicopters, it was further reported.
There were said to have been 15 predominantly young people on board, including minors, as well as seven members of one family and a man with his pregnant wife.
Disaster Sparks Protests
All the migrants came from the Ben Guerdane region in southeastern Tunisia, according to the news agency Reuters. In the city near the Libyan border, dozens of young people gathered to demand that search efforts be accelerated. According to Reuters, police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the central Mediterranean is the world's deadliest migration route. The number of deaths in the first four months of this year has more than doubled compared to the same period last year. At least 914 migrants have died or gone missing on this route in 2026 so far.
