At least 11 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia, while 21 others were rescued by the coast guard, an army spokesman said.
The coastguard recovered five bodies, while the search is still on for six more victims who drowned, he said.
According to reports, the incident took place near the Kerkenna Islands off the coast of Sfax, Tunisia, on Wednesday, and a girl of about 10 years old was among the dead.
Army spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli said witnesses claimed the vessel had set out carrying 32 migrants – all Tunisian nationals.
“The search for the other missing is still ongoing,” the army spokesman said.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 2,500 people have died or gone missing while attempting to reach Europe through the Mediterranean and northern Africa route in 2021.
A shipwreck off the Tunisian coast last July led to the deaths of at least 43 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean. About 84 other migrants managed to escape the disaster. According to the Tunisian Red Crescent, the boat carried migrants from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh.
