At least five illegal sub-Saharan migrants have died and 10 others are missing after their makeshift boat sank off the Tunisian coast, according to judicial sources.
The Tunisian coastguards rescued 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who were on board the said boat, en route to Italy, which sank on Friday off Louata, in the region of Sfax (East of the Tunisia), specify the same sources, quoted by local media. Tunisian and Libyan territorial waters are considered a transit zone for most illegal migrant boats bound for Europe.
According to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), the year 2022 has seen a record number of illegal migrants missing at sea, with no less than 580 migrants since the beginning of the year. Between 2017 and 2021, a total of 42,703 men and 1,251 women reached Italian shores, knowing that 53,524 irregular migrants failed to reach Italian territory during the same period, specifies the Forum.