27 die as two migrant boats sink off Tunisia

The Tunisian National Guard reported that two migrant boats capsized off the coast of the country. The boats sank in waters near the city of Sfax, a departure point for most migrants and refugees seeking to travel to Europe.

At least 27 people died in the capsizing of these two boats, most of them women and children. A Tunisian National Guard official told AFP that the two boats had set off from the coast of Sfax between December 31 and January 1.

The Tunisian National Guard, which also oversees the country's coast guard, said a baby was among the victims. “All the victims and survivors were from sub-Saharan Africa,” Ziad El Sidiri, the director of civil protection in Sfax, said in a press statement.

The Tunisian coast guard has rescued 83 of the migrants, and the search for the missing is ongoing.

Last month, the Tunisian coast guard recovered the bodies of around 30 other migrants in two separate incidents after their boat capsized while they were travelling towards Europe.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) reported that between 600 and 700 migrants died or went missing in 2024 after their boats capsized. The figure for 2023 was more than 1,300.