Spokesperson of the Safaks Court of First Instance, Fevzi al-Masmudi, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that a boat carrying irregular migrants sank off the coast of Safaks city in the country.
Masmudi said, “There were 35 people on the boat, mostly Tunisians. 23 of them were rescued and the bodies of 5 people were found.”
Stating that there was a family of 3 or 4 people from Sub-Saharan African countries on the boat, Masmudi said that the search for 7 missing people continues.
Masmudi added that an investigation has been launched to investigate the cause of the sinking of the boat, which sank a few hundred meters from the shore.
Every year, thousands of African irregular migrants come to Tunisia to reach Europe via the Mediterranean in hopes of a better life.
Immigrants residing in the southern cities of Tunisia try to cross to Europe by boat whenever they have the opportunity.
Some of the immigrants from Sub-Saharan African countries, who have lived in immigrant neighborhoods in Tunisia for many years, manage to reach Europe, while others die at sea.