At least 25 people have died in a devastating incident off the shores of Tunisia, where a boat carrying individuals from sub-Saharan Africa on their way to Europe capsized.
The Tunisian coastguard reported the discovery of 15 bodies on Thursday, following the recovery of 10 bodies on the previous day, after the shipwreck occurred near the coastal city of Sfax.
Among the deceased found on Thursday were six women and the boat’s Tunisian captain, as confirmed by Faouzi Masmoudi, spokesperson for the court of Sfax, which is currently investigating the tragic deaths.
About 15 bodies were found trapped under the wrecked boat. The national guard revealed that 41 Tunisian individuals, including five women and nine children, were rescued off the coast of Sousse on Thursday.
Notably, the surge in departures from sub-Saharan Africa was worsened after Tunisian President Kais Saied delivered a contentious speech in February, accusing “hordes” of illegal immigrants of fuelling a crime wave and plotting to alter Tunisia’s demographics. His comments triggered a wave of evictions and violence against black migrants, further exacerbating the perilous situation.
The United Nations’ human rights chief, Volker Türk, voiced alarm on Thursday over the “precarious” situation of asylum seekers and migrants attempting to cross the central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migration route.
“We are seeing a steep increase in the number of desperate people putting their lives at grave risk,” he said. “We cannot afford to dither and to become embroiled in yet another debate about who is responsible. Human lives are at stake.”
Tunisia’s coastguard said last week it had intercepted more than 14,000 people trying to reach Europe from January to March, more than five times the number of those who attempted the trip in the first quarter of 2022. According to the Italian interior ministry, more than 14,000 people have landed in Italy since the start of the year, compared with just over 5,300 during the same period last year.
On Tuesday, Italy’s right-wing government announced a move that will allow it to send back people more quickly, in what it called ‘a state of emergency’ on immigration following the sharp rise in arrivals across the Mediterranean.