Tunisian coastguards have recovered 11 bodies thought to be of irregular migrants lost at sea while attempting to reach Europe, a spokesman said Friday.
The bodies were found on Thursday and Friday in Mediterranean waters off the central province of Mahdia
National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli said DNA samples had been taken in order to establish their identities.
The North African country has a long coast, in places just 130 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The bodies of eight emigrants were recovered on Monday off the coast of the North African country, around two weeks after a makeshift boat carrying 18 people including a baby got lost.
Hundreds of Tunisians clashed with police on Wednesday during a protest to demand more search-and-rescue efforts.
Also angered over the burial of three suspected Tunisians in a nearby cemetery for foreign migrants, some demonstrators burned tires and threw rocks at police.
Tunisia has long been a key departure point for African migrants, seeking what they feel is a better life in Europe. A long-running economic crisis has seen many Tunisians attempt the perilous sea journey.
In a related development, Tunisian authorities said Tuesday they had intercepted nearly 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe northwards across the Mediterranean Sea last weekend.
Official figures say more than 22,500 migrants have been intercepted off the Tunisian coast since the start of the year, around half of them from sub-Saharan Africa.
