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 leaving 12 people missing, according to Tunisia's national guard. One survivor was rescued. The guard spokesperson, Houssem Eddine Jebabli, confirmed that two bodies have been recovered and taken to a hospital on the nearby island of Djerba.

The boat, with around 15 people on board, had departed between the cities of Zarzis and Ben Guerdane early Thursday. A commercial ship discovered the sole survivor on Saturday in a life jacket, as reported by Mosaique FM. Subsequently, a helicopter and coast guard boats were deployed to the area in search of additional survivors, according to an AP photographer on-site.

The migrants were presumed to be heading towards Italy. Zarzis is a well-known departure point for Tunisians and others from various African nations attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. The city experienced a similar disaster in 2022, when a boat carrying 18 people vanished, leading to weeks of protests as families complained about authorities' inadequate search efforts and mishandling of recovered bodies.

Migrant departures from Tunisia have significantly decreased since the EU and Tunisia signed a comprehensive agreement in 2023, which included EU funding and technical assistance for Tunisian border control and coast guard training to curb irregular migration and deter human traffickers in the Mediterranean region. The EU provided Tunisia with 105 million euros ($121 million) in migration-related support in 2023 alone.

Despite this decline in migration, dangerous crossings from Tunisia’s southern coast persist, with families in the south, particularly in Zarzis, continually searching for relatives who have disappeared at sea for years.