The toll could be more serious because, according to the rescued migrants, “there were between 30 and 32 people on each of the boats.”
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Posted on 4/24/2022 4:29 PM Updated on 4/24/2022 4:41 PM
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At least 17 migrants died when four boats sank off the coast of central-eastern Tunisia, legal sources told AFP on Sunday April 24. They said that 97 people were saved. “The boats, makeshift boats in very poor condition, left the coast near Sfax on the night of April 22-23,” said Mourad Turki, spokesman for the Sfax court responsible for investigating the sinking . “A woman was taken to hospital but died in the ambulance, and at least one baby was among the victims,” the spokesman added.
Mourad Turki reported a preliminary figure of 17 dead, including several bodies recovered from the sea, and said he feared more bodies would be found in the coming days. According to statements by the rescued migrants, there were “between 30 and 32 people on each of the boats”. The majority of these migrants come from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Somalia or Nigeria, according to the spokesman, who fears further departures in the coming days “due to the improvement in the weather”.