More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

The boat capsized off the Tunisian coast. File pic

Eighty-two people are missing after the boat they were in sank off the coast of Tunisia.

Tunisian fishermen came across the sinking boat near the town of Zarzis late on Wednesday.

They were able to pull out four men but there was no trace of any of the other passengers, according to Lorena Lando, head of the International Organization for Migration in Tunisia.

Those on board are thought to have been migrants.

One of those rescued, a man from the Ivory Coast, died overnight in hospital.

In May, at least 65 migrants drowned after their boat capsized while heading from Libya to Europe. </s> At least 82 people are missing after an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia's Mediterranean coast earlier in the week, the United Nations-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Friday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2019) At least 82 people are missing after an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia 's Mediterranean coast earlier in the week, the United Nations-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Friday.

On Thursday, media reported that more than 80 people were unaccounted for after a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea three days earlier.

"IOM has learned that of the 82 still missing, four are women, one of them pregnant," the release said.

On Monday, the vessel left Zwara, Libya, and capsized a few hours later after it began to leak. Four survivors were spotted by fishermen and were then rescued by the Tunisian Coast Guard.

One survivor, a citizen of Cote d'Ivoire, later died in a hospital on Thursday, the release said. The other survivors are hospitalized and one was placed in a shelter run by the Tunisian Red Crescent. All of the survivors are believed to be citizens of Mali, the release added.

The IOM said in the release that it was able to meet with the survivors and assist them with basic needs and psychological support.

According to the IOM, 426 migrants have drowned while attempting to cross the so-called central Mediterranean route. Some 3,750 have been brought back to Libya amid the ongoing violence in and around the capital of Tripoli. </s> At least 50 migrants have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, according to the UN migration agency.

The bodies of three victims have been found, while dozens of others are missing, said Tunisian authorities.

A fishing boat saved 16 migrants from the boat, which had left Libya on Thursday, reported a spokesman for Tunisia's defence ministry.

There were between 60 and 70 sub-Saharan Africans onboard the vessel when it left the coastal city of Zuwara. </s> More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast

The boat capsized off the Tunisian coast. File pic

A boat carrying 86 migrants has sank in the Mediterranean - and 82 people have been reported missing.

Fishermen came across the sinking boat, nine miles from the town of Zarzis off the coast of Tunisia, late on Wednesday.

They were able to pull four men from the vessel but there was no trace of the other passengers, according to Lorena Lando, head of the International Organisation for Migration in Tunisia.

One of those rescued, a man from the Ivory Coast, died overnight in hospital.

Those on board are thought to have been migrants who had departed from the Libyan city of Zuwara.

In May, at least 65 migrants drowned after their boat capsized while heading from Libya to Europe.

African migrants often depart from the west coast of Libya and head to Europe in search of a better life.

But many rely on human traffickers, and end up travelling in unsafe boats.

Aid workers have warned that the recent fighting in Libya could prompt more Libyans to flee their country.

However, an operation run by the Italians and the Libyan coast guard has seen a recent drop in the number of people sailing for Europe. </s> No fewer than 70 migrants have drowned after their boat sank off the Tunisian coast, Tunisia’s state news agency TAP reported on Friday.

“Coastguard units are trying to recover the bodies of the dead off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax,’’ the agency added, citing local officials.

According to the report, 16 other people have been rescued by fishermen near the site of the accident.

“The migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa,” the agency reported without further details.

It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the capsized boat, which is believed to have set sail for Europe from neighbouring Libya.

The Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants, including Tunisians, who seek to reach Europe. </s> TUNIS (Reuters) - A boat carrying more than 70 migrants capsized off the coast of Tunisia on Wednesday, the Tunisian Red Crescent said.

Some of the four initial survivors told the Tunisian coast guard on Thursday that the boat had sunk off the town of Zarzis, Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters.

One of the four died later in hospital, Slim said, adding that no more information was available.

At least 65 migrants drowned last May when their boat capsized off the Tunisian coast after they had left Libya hoping to reach Europe. </s> At least 80 are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Tunisian coast, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration has said.

Flavio Di Giacomo wrote on Twitter on Thursday: "A shipwreck occurred off the Tunisian coast, 4 survivors have been rescued and brought to Tunisia.

"They said that their dinghy was carrying 86 people.

"More updates are needed in order to confirm what happened and the actual number of missing."

Some of the survivors have told the Tunisian coast guard that the boat sunk off the town of Zarzis, Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters.

All four were transferred to a migrant sheltering centre in Zarzis, but one is confirmed to have since died in a local hospital.

Giacomo estimated the total number of people currently missing to be 82.

He also said the ship had sailed "a few days ago" from Zwara, a port city in northwest Libya just 85 miles east of Zarzis.

At least 65 migrants drowned trying to reach Europe from Libya last May when their boat capsized off the Tunisian coast.

Beginning in 2015, large numbers of both refugees and economic migrants began arriving in Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.

People smugglers are able to charge thousands of dollars to ferry migrants across the Mediterranean, but often intentionally sink boats once at sea, forcing humanitarian agencies from Europe to stage rescues.

The influx has sparked fierce debate about the nature of Europe’s obligation to the new arrivals and how many should be allowed to stay.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours. </s> At least 80 refugees are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia on Wednesday, BBC reported. Four people were rescued from the vessel, but one later died in hospital.

The three Malians who were rescued told officials they had set out from Zuwara town in Libya. Libya has been in the midst of a civil war since 2011, when its dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed.

Tunisian Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters said the initial four survivors told the Coast Guard that the boat sank off the coast of Zarzis, a coastal commune in the country. Lorena Lando, head of the International Organization for Migration in Tunisia, said that fishermen rescued four people from the boat on Wednesday night.

The passengers in the vessel were all heading for Europe, Al Jazeera reported. Libya has detained thousands of refugees and migrants in detention camps.

The news comes days after an airstrike killed at least 40 migrants and injured 80 in a detention camp in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. </s> July 4 (UPI) -- More than 80 people are missing after a boat carrying migrants sunk off the coast of Tunisia late Wednesday.

Three Malians were rescued and a fourth migrant died later in a hospital. The inflatable boat, which capsized near the town of Zarzis, set out from Zuwara, Libya, where migrants often embark on dangerous journeys in hope of reaching Europe. More than 80 people are feared dead.

Fishermen who came across the sinking boat were unable to find more than four people.

The sinking came after an airstrike on a migrant center in Tripoli, Libya, killed at least 40 people. The Government of National Accord blamed the Libyan National Army for the attack as conflict with the United Nations-backed Libyan transition government continues. The country has seen persistent internal conflict, leading to the death of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A group of 131 refugees were evacuated out of Libya to Niger in June, the UN Refugee Agency said. In May, 65 migrants died when a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia.

A record number of people worldwide, 41.3 million, were displaced from their home countries because of conflict and violence as of the end of 2018, according to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council.

In the first six months of this year, 555 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, following 924 deaths in 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration.
More than 80 people are missing after a migrant boat capsizes off the coast of Tunisia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).