Many dead, 28 missing as refugee boat sinks off Tunisia
Tunisia, The Gulf Observer: Five refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have drowned and another 28 were missing after their boat capsized off Tunisia.
“Five migrants’ bodies were recovered and five other migrants were rescued, but 28 are still missing,” said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for social and economic rights [FTDES] on Wednesday.
He said it had sunk “because it was overloaded” with 38 people, mostly from the Ivory Coast.
The boat had set off from the coastal region of Sfax in the direction of the Italian island of Lampedusa, a popular launchpad for people from people escaping war and persecution across Africa to try to reach safety in Europe.
The sinking is the latest tragedy on the central Mediterranean, known as the world’s deadliest migration route.
