Migrant boat wreck off Tunisia leaves dozens dead

Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official told AFP Thursday.

The rescued and dead passengers, who were found off the Kerkennah Islands off central Tunisia, were aiming to reach Europe and were all from sub-Saharan African countries, said Zied Sdiri, head of civil defence in the city of Sfax.

Tunisia is a key departure point for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe. Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

Italy, whose Lampedusa island is only 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Tunisia, is often their first port of call.

The crossing has seen a spate of recent shipwrecks, exacerbated by bad weather.

On December 18, at least 20 migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa died in a shipwreck off the city of Sfax, with five others missing.

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