Scores of migrants seeking greener pastures in Italy die in Mediterranean boat accident
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that over 110 people of both Tunisian and other nationalities, could have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean head for the Italian island of Sicila.
The captain of the ship was said to have abandoned the boat after it hit trouble in order to escape arrest; sources confirmed that the boat likely sank because it was overloaded.
The Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Italy after controls were tightened in neighbouring Libya.
According to IOM reports, “48 bodies have already been found, there are more than 64 still missing.
“Over 70 migrants survived the accident near the Kerkennah Islands, off the coast of the city of Sfax, on Sunday,” Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the IOM, said.
According to the Tunisian Defence Ministry, the victims were mostly Tunisians, but there were also eight foreigners, including from neighbouring Morocco.
“Six foreigners, two from the Ivory Coast, two from Cameroon and two from Morocco, were among those rescued,” the ministry said.
