At least 13 Tunisians remain missing after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia while en route to Italy on Thursday, according to authorities. Four bodies have been recovered, though it has not been confirmed whether they belonged to passengers from the same vessel. Two people were rescued, including one survivor in critical condition.
The boat, carrying mostly young migrants, included seven members of the same family and a man with his pregnant wife. Survivors reported drifting at sea for hours after the vessel overturned. Search operations, involving aircraft and naval units, are ongoing to locate the missing individuals.
The incident follows a two-year decline in departures from Tunisia, attributed to a government crackdown and stricter maritime controls backed by European funding and advanced border monitoring equipment, particularly from Italy. Departures had previously surged in 2023 when Tunisian President Kais Saied alleged that migration flows were intended to alter the country's demographic composition.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, issued a joint statement last month criticizing the EU-Tunisia migration agreement. The groups argued that the accord normalized severe abuses against migrants and asylum seekers, calling for a suspension of funding tied to border control involving Tunisian security forces.
The Central Mediterranean remains one of the world's deadliest migration routes, frequently used by people from Africa and the Middle East attempting to reach Europe aboard overcrowded or unseaworthy vessels.
