2 bodies recovered and about 12 missing after migrant boat capsized off Tunisian coast

A boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of southern Tunisia, resulting in at least two deaths and 12 people still missing, according to the country's national guard. One survivor was rescued. Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli informed state news agency TAP that two bodies had been recovered and transferred to a hospital on the nearby island of Djerba.

The boat, with a reported 15 people on board, departed between the cities of Zarzis and Ben Guerdane on Thursday morning. A commercial ship located the sole survivor on Saturday, in a life jacket. Helicopters and coast guard vessels were subsequently deployed to search for additional survivors, as the migrants were believed to have been en route to Italy.

Zarzis, a historically popular departure point for Tunisians and others from Africa seeking passage to Europe, has witnessed multiple tragic incidents in recent years, including a similar tragedy in 2022 involving a boat carrying 18 people.