At least 12 Tunisians, including three children, have died after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of the southeastern island of Djerba on Monday, a judicial officer reports.
According to Medenine court spokesman Fethi Baccouche, the boat capsized at dawn, and only 29 people were rescued. He said five men and four women were among the dead and the cause of the accident remains unknown.
The Tunisian National Guard was informed by four migrants who managed to swim back to shore.
Tunisia and Libya have become crucial points of departure for migrants seeking a better standard of living in Europe, often taking risky journeys across the Mediterranean.
The mass exodus is driven by Tunisia’s stagnant economy, which only experienced 0.4% growth in 2023, and unemployment is soaring.
The political landscape of the North African country has also been unstable, particularly since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021.
Tens of thousands attempt to migrate every year, with Italy being their initial destination, as its Lampedusa island is just 150 kilometres away.
According to the Tunisian Government, at least 103 makeshift boats have capsized and 341 bodies have been recovered off Tunisia’s coast since January 1.
FTDES rights group reports that in 2023, over 1,300 people either died or disappeared in shipwrecks off Tunisia.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 30,309 migrants have died while crossing the Mediterranean in the past decade, with over 3,000 deaths occurring last year.