At least 41 migrants including three children have lost their lives in shipwrecks off the coasts of Tunisia and Western Sahara, local media reported.
Four survivors— three men and a woman were rescued on Wednesday, August 9, by the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Rimona in the Straits of Sicily. They were then transferred onto the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The boat was reportedly carrying 45 people.
The boat set off Thursday morning, August 3, from Tunisia’s Sfax. However, after a few hours, it capsized and sank, the survivors were quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa.
This summer, there were many wrecks of smugglers’ boats leaving Tunisia for Italy.
According to Italy’s Interior Ministry, more than 93,000 undocumented people have arrived in Italy so far this year by crossing the Mediterranean, more than double the 45,000 who arrived during the same period in 2022.
