Search continues in Tunisia after migrant boat sinking
Volunteers in Tunisia are still searching for two people missing after a migrant boat carrying 15 sank off the southeastern coast near Zarzis. The tragedy killed at least 12 and sparked violent protests in Ben Guerdane, where most of those on board lived.
Key Takeaways
- A boat with 15 migrants, believed bound for Italy, sank about 14 nautical miles (26km) off Zarzis.
- Tunisian authorities said 12 bodies were recovered by Sunday; one person survived after drifting for about 48 hours.
- Violent protests erupted in Ben Guerdane, with tyre burning, road blocks, and tear gas from police.
- A rights group said a local hospital received at least 19 migrant bodies over two days, with genetic testing underway.
- The International Organization for Migration says the central Mediterranean remains the world’s deadliest migration route.
What happened to the migrant boat off Tunisia?
According to Al Jazeera, the vessel set off late Friday from a point between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane with 15 mostly young people aboard. It sank roughly 14 nautical miles (26km) off the Zarzis coast while apparently heading toward Italy.
Only one person survived, after drifting at sea for about 48 hours before a commercial vessel rescued them, Tunisian media reported. The Tunisian National Guard said 12 bodies had been recovered by Sunday. Volunteers in Zarzis continued searching by fishing boat on Monday for the two people still missing.
The National Guard said 14 of those on board were from Ben Guerdane and one was from Zarzis. Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, said the passengers included seven members of the same family.
Why did the sinking spark protests in Ben Guerdane?
Grief and anger boiled over into violent protests in Ben Guerdane on Sunday night. Demonstrators burned tyres and blocked roads. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, the National Guard said.
Protesters demanded better living conditions and economic development. They argued that a lack of opportunity and years of marginalisation are pushing young people into dangerous sea crossings toward Europe.
Some Tunisians called for a national day of mourning. Lawmaker Imad Oulad Jibril described it as “the tragedy of a nation that sees its youth fleeing the hardships of the land only to be swallowed by the sea.” The opposition Democratic Bloc asked who is at fault “when crossing the sea becomes easier than living in Tunisia.”
Coverage of related migration tragedies and unresolved questions continues in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries section.
How many bodies were recovered, and is the toll clear?
Abdelkebir told Reuters that a hospital in Ben Guerdane received at least 19 bodies of migrants recovered from the sea over two days. It was not clear whether all came from the same boat. He said genetic testing was being used to identify the dead and confirm how many had been aboard.
Tunisia’s southeastern coast lies about 145km (90 miles) from Italy’s Lampedusa. Similar disasters have struck before, including the 2018 Kerkennah sinking that left more than 100 dead or missing, and a 2022 Zarzis wreck that killed at least 18 and sparked weeks of protests.
The IOM says at least 821 migrants have died or gone missing on the central Mediterranean route this year—more than double the same period last year—and at least 1,065 across the Mediterranean overall.