The boat was attempting to cross the Med to reach Europe.
Forty-three migrants have drowned after the boat carrying them sank off the coast of Tunisia, according to humanitarian organisation The Tunisian Red Crescent.
The migrants had set off from Zuwara, a port in Libya, and were crossing the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach Europe.
The Tunisian navy managed to rescue a further 84 of the migrants on board, said the head of Tunisia’s Red Crescent.
According to the humanitarian organisation, which is one of the national affiliates of the Red Cross, the boat had set sail on Monday night and was carrying people from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh. It capsized after its engine broke down.
The survivors were rescued off the Tunisian fishing port of Zarzis and were aged between three and 40, according to Tunisia’s defence ministry.
They were provided with food and drink by the Tunisian Red Crescent
while looking for space to house them for the required Covid isolation period, local media radio reported.
Reuters reports that summer weather has seen an increase in migrants trying to reach Europe from north Africa, with Libya being a key transit point for migrants from a number of countries trying to get to Europe via the Mediterranean.
Tunisia has now also become a hub for migrants though, with the country calling on the European Union for help dealing with migration by helping fight poverty in Africa.
Almost 19,800 migrants have arrived since the beginning of the year against just over 6,700 in the same period last year, Italian interior ministry figures show.
RELATED ARTICLES
MORE FROM JOE
MORE FROM JOE
