Tunis, Europe Brief News – 20 Migrants died after a migrant shipwreck off Tunisia, most of them Syrians,
The migrants were trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a civil protection official said. The incident is the latest ship disaster off Tunisia.
The official affirmed that coastguards recovered eight bodies on Saturday, after finding 12 on Friday. A search was still under way.
Tunisia and neighbouring Libya are key departure points for migrants and refugees seeking to reach European shores.
Hundreds of thousands of people have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing in recent years. Many of them fled conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
According to the United Nations’ migration agency, more than 1,100 people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East have died this year in the Mediterranean.
War-torn Libya has been the dominant transit point for thousands of imigrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa, seeking a new hope in the European continent.
Thousands of migrants leave Libya yearly towards Europe. Many of them die on the journey.
Since the start of the year, over 10,000 migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2021, while at least 180 migrants travelling died.
Hundreds are still missing so far this year.
