TUNISIA: 35 migrants dead after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

At least 35 migrants died after their boat capsized off the southern coast of Tunisia, the Tunisian government says. Sixty-seven others – from Tunisia and elsewhere – were rescued by the coastguard. The country has become an important new route for migrants trying to make the crossing to Europe in the past year. This comes […]

At least 35 migrants died after their boat capsized off the southern coast of Tunisia, the Tunisian government says.

Sixty-seven others – from Tunisia and elsewhere – were rescued by the coastguard.

The country has become an important new route for migrants trying to make the crossing to Europe in the past year.

This comes after moves against human traffickers in Libya, who have regularly enslaved, tortured or murdered migrants.

The latest boat to go down off Tunisia was packed with about 180 people, most of whom were Tunisian, the country’s interior ministry said.

“The boat was five miles from the Kerkennah Islands and 16 nautical miles from the city of Sfax,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.