A migrant boat accident off the coast of Tunisia leaves at least ten people dead.
Officials reported on Wednesday that a boat carrying migrants went off the coast of Tunisia, leaving over 30 people missing while killing 10
According to Houssem Eddin Jebabli of the national guard, the Tunisian coast guard saved 76 migrants from the same shipwreck. Up to 30 people are still missing, a judge from the city of Sfax named Faouzi Masmoudi told Reuters.
The number of migrant boats leaving Tunisia towards the Italian shore has sharply increased over the past month. As a result, drowning incidents have increased because the boats are sometimes flimsy, overloaded, and powered by unreliable motors. At least 52 migrants died, and 70 were reported missing in similar tragedies in March.
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More than 14,000 migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, were stopped or saved in the first three months of this year while attempting to cross into Europe, according to the National Guard.
The sudden spike is partially attributable to Tunisia replacing Libya as the primary departure country for migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Africa in the search for a better life.
Libya's recent crackdowns on human trafficking have made Tunisia a more accessible choice. Over a month ago, over 60 migrants died off the coast of Vitality when their boat spit into pieces in the ocean.
According to witnesses, the migrant boat had about 150 people on the ship, and it was overloaded. Therefore it split apart, sinking on the southern coast of Italy. The migrants on board came from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. According to the Adnkronos news agency, it sank after collapsing against rocks in stormy seas. Video footage shows the wreckage of timber busted into pieces washing up on the beach.
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