The Tunisian navy on Saturday rescued 81 migrants including 32 Bangladeshis who had set out for Europe from Libya. They were travelling in a barely seaworthy vessel which was boarded six kilometres away from Tunisia’s northeastern coast, reports AFP. The boat was damaged at the time it was apprehended by the Tunisian Navy.
The boat carried 38 Egyptians, 32 Bangladeshis,10 Sudanese and one Moroccan all aged between 20-28. They had set off from the coastal village of Abu Kammash which is close to Libya’s border with Tunisia. The Italian Island of Lampedusa is just about 130 kilometres from the Tunisian coast.
The UN agency IOM estimates that close to 2000 people died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean in 2021 trying to cross over to Europe. In 2022, the figure has reached 542 so far.
