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At least 20 people were killed in a boat accident off the Tunisian coast. Five people were saved, according to authorities, the search is ongoing for 20 more.
At least 20 people were drowned in a boat accident off the Tunisian coast. Refugees from countries south of the Sahara had tried to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa, said a spokesman for the Tunisian Ministry of Defense. However, the ship with about 45 people on board sank about ten kilometers off the Tunisian coast.
According to the information, fishermen and the Italian coast guard discovered the bodies off the coastal town of Sfax, and five people were rescued from the Mediterranean. They are still looking for about 20 people. According to the survivors, there were about 40 or 50 people on the ship. The boat was overloaded and in poor condition and was exposed to high winds in the morning, which may have contributed to its sinking, a National Guard spokesman said.
The number of refugees is on the rise again
Since the Tunisian coast is only a few hundred kilometers from continental Europe, the North African state is always a point of contact for migrants who wish to travel to Europe via the dangerous Mediterranean route. This year, more people are trying to get back from Africa to Europe.
The corona epidemic has worsened the economic situation in North Africa. Due to years of economic crisis and high unemployment in the country, Tunisians are increasingly trying to reach Europe in this way.
In Libya, migrants and refugees are often mistreated and imprisoned. According to the Interior Ministry, Italy has seen a 400 percent increase in the number of boat refugees arriving since the beginning of the year. The Spanish “Open Arms” is currently the only private salvage ship in the Mediterranean. It started on Wednesday.
