The bodies of about twenty migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were found by fishermen on Tuesday off the Kerkennah archipelago, near Sfax in Tunisia.
The bodies were then recovered by coastguards. Research has also been launched with divers to find 30 other people, said Sfax court spokesman Mourad Turki.
A boat with around fifty people
Other exile candidates have told the authorities that these migrants were probably on board a stowaway from the Sfax region on the night of June 4-5. This boat had set sail for Italy with 53 people on board according to their testimonies. An investigation was opened to identify the organizers of the crossing, the court said in its statement.
Departures from the Tunisian coasts increased by 156%, between January and the end of April, compared to the same period last year, Vincent Cochetel, special envoy for the Central Mediterranean of the High Commission, told AFP refugees (UNHCR).
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