1 dead after 3 migrant boats sink off Tunisia

By Mehmet Akif Turan

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - The Tunisian coast guard recovered the body of an irregular migrant and rescued 97 others after their boats capsized off the country’s eastern coast, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Three boats carrying irregular migrants sank off the coast of the city of Sfax and the Kerkennah Islands, the ministry said in a statement.

Tunisian authorities stop illegal migration attempts and arrest hundreds of irregular migrants on almost a daily basis.

For years, Maghreb countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants mainly from sub-Saharan Africa to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz