No fewer than forty-three migrants have been reported drowned after their boat sank off Tunisia, the Tunisian Red Crescent have revealed.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the migrants had set off from the Libyan port of Zuwara and were attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
A further 84 were rescued by the Tunisian navy, the head of Tunisia’s Red Crescent head Mongi Slim revealed yesterday.
Summer weather has seen an increase in migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa.
Read Also: Over 170 Migrants Rescued From The Sea By Tunisian Navy
The boat, which set sail on Monday night, was carrying people from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Bangladesh, the Red Crescent said. The vessel capsized after its engine broke down.
Most of those rescued, off the Tunisian fishing port of Zarzis, were reportedly aged between three and 40, according to Tunisia’s defence ministry.
The Tunisian Red Crescent gave them food and drink while looking for space to house them for the required Covid isolation period, local media radio reported.
Libya has been a key transit point for migrants from many countries trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.
But Tunisia has also become a major hub and has called on the European Union to deal with migration by helping fight poverty in Africa.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK