Baby among two dead as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
By babagana jidda kanempress
12 august 2023
At least two Tunisians including a baby have died when their boat sank soon after leaving the shores, amid a spike in attempts to reach Europe.
Tunisia is a major gateway for migrants attempting perilous voyages across the Mediterranean in rickety boats in the hopes of a better life.
The vessel carrying 20 Tunisians went down at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) when it was only 120 metres (395 feet) from the coast in Gabes, Tunisia.
“Two bodies have been recovered, one of a 20-year-old man and the other of an infant,” Tunisian coast guard said.
Five passengers were missing, amid ongoing search operations and 13 others had been rescued.
Authorities in the city of Gabes have launched an investigation to “determine the circumstances of this tragedy”, the coast guard said.
Over 1,800 people have died in shipwrecks this year in the central Mediterranean migration route. International Organization for Migration puts the figure more than twice as 2022.
