Death Toll from Sinking Migrant Boats off Tunisia Rises to 17

On Sunday, a judicial official said that the death toll from migrant shipwrecks off Tunisia has reached 17.

The Tunisian Guard Coast said on Saturday that 4 boats with 120 African migrants on board headed to Italy had sunk off the coast near the city of Sfax.

Mourad Turki, the spokesperson for Sfax courts, said that another five bodies were found today, adding to 12 others found by the coast guard overnight. The coast guard said 98 people had been rescued.

The coastline of Sfax has become the main departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and seeking a better life in Europe.

In recent months, dozens of people have drowned off the coast near Sfax, with the increase in the frequency of attempted crossing from Tunisia and Libya toward Italy.

Hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Mediterranean on a perilous journey in recent years.

Contributed by Israa Farhan