Tunisia: 43 refugees drowned in shipwreck

At least 43 refugees drowned in a shipwreck off the Tunisian coast, according to the Red Crescent Rescue Service.

The Tunisian branch of the ambulance service announced on Saturday that they had tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy and thus to the European Union. The Navy rescued 84 people.

The boat was launched at Suwara on the northwest coast of Libya. People from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh were on board the plane.

Hundreds of thousands of people have moved across the Mediterranean to Europe in recent years. Most of the people come from Africa and the Middle East, fleeing poverty and conflict at home.

There have been several shipwrecks off the Tunisian coast in the past few weeks, drowning dozens of people. As recently as early June, more than 20 refugees from Africa died. He also wanted to go to Italy.

As the weather has improved during the summer, many people try to sail from Africa to Europe by the dangerous sea route, in small, often overcrowded and barely seaworthy boats.

Most often they depart from Tunisia and Libya to Italy. The Italian island of Lampedusa is a frequent destination.

Fewer people had arrived in Italy in recent years, but the number has risen again since 2021. According to the Ministry of the Interior in Rome, about 19,800 refugees have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, and about 6,700 refugees in the same period in 2020.