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Five people trying to reach Europe illegally drowned off the coast of Tunisia, while 24 others were rescued. This is reported by the Tunisian National Guard.
The bodies of five migrants were recovered off the coast of the Zarzis region, a statement said. According to the same source, 24 other migrants of different nationalities were rescued. The boat carrying the migrants had left from the coast of “a neighboring country,” a term usually used to describe Libya.
In another operation, the coast guard said it thwarted a clandestine sea crossing off the coast of al-Mahdia and rescued 53 foreign migrants.
Libya is a hub for tens of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe clandestinely by sea. Boats leaving from the Libyan coast often strand off the coast of Tunisia, which is also a major departure point for migrants.
More than 1,300 migrants who set out from the Tunisian coast in 2023 in an attempt to reach Europe illegally have drowned, according to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, a Tunisian NGO specializing in migration issues.