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At least 39 migrants drown off Tunisia as two boats capsize |
2021-03-10 |
[AlAhram] The boats left shore on Monday night or early Tuesday and carried ![]() illegally At least 39 Rescuers pulled 165 survivors from the floundering boats out of the sea to safety. It was not immediately clear what caused both boats to capsize, but vessels leaving the North African coast for Europe are often heavily overloaded makeshift crafts, departing at night even in rough weather to avoid detection from the coastguard. Tunisian National Guard front man Houcem Eddine Jebabli said the "search is still on for survivors and bodies". The defence ministry said 39 bodies had been retrieved so far, with children among the dead, but no further details were given. The boats left shore overnight carrying mainly Last year saw an upsurge of makeshift boats attempting to cross the central Mediterranean, the deadliest route for would-be Such vessels have continued to take to the sea almost daily this year, despite frequent poor weather. "Departures have continued to rise," said Romdhane Ben Amor, of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights. Since the beginning of 2021, 94 migrant boats have been intercepted, according to a count kept by his organization, against 47 in same period of 2020. Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti... 1,736 people have been arrested for attempting the crossing, around double the number in the same period last year. Between January 1 and February 21, 3,800 Among illegal arrivals in Italia during 2020, Tunisian citizens constituted the biggest national contingent, numbering 12,000, the UNHCR said. But many foreign nationals have also used Tunisia as a jumping off point for Europe. Since the start of 2021, over half of In February, 22 In January, the Tunisian navy intercepted 50 |
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