Tunisia: 11 bodies recovered after migrant boat sinks

The Tunisian National Guard announced on Sunday that it had recovered 11 bodies from the sea after a boat carrying 15 migrants sank, with three people still missing.

The boat, which was carrying 15 Tunisian migrants, sank on Friday night off the coast of Zarzis, in southern Tunisia, and one person was rescued.

"Search operations recovered three bodies yesterday and eight today," the National Guard said in a statement Sunday, adding that the search continued for the other passengers.

On Saturday night, residents of Ben Guerdane, a marginalized town near the Libyan border from which 14 of the migrants originated, protested after the announcement of the shipwreck, blocking roads and setting tires on fire.

Tunisia, whose coasts lie some 145 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa, is a major departure point for migrants attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean to Europe.

The central Mediterranean is the deadliest migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The IOM indicated earlier this month that the number of migrant deaths in the central Mediterranean had more than doubled in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period the previous year.

At least 914 migrants have died or gone missing on this route this year, according to the IOM.

In 2023, Tunisia signed a €255 million ($290 million) agreement with the European Union, nearly half of which was earmarked for combating irregular immigration.

This agreement, backed by the far-right Italian government, aimed to strengthen Tunisia's ability to prevent boats from leaving its shores.