2 bodies recovered, 12 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The bodies of two people have been recovered and 12 others remain missing after a migrant boat sank off Tunisia’s southern coast. Tunisia’s National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli said on Saturday that the bodies were taken to a hospital on the island of Djerba, Al Jazeera reported. He said around 15 people were believed to have been aboard the boat, which sank about 14 nautical miles (26km) off the coast after departing from an area between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane. One survivor was rescued by a commercial vessel after being found in a life jacket, according to local media. Coastguard boats and a helicopter were deployed to search for more survivors. The boat was believed to have been heading towards Italy. Mostafa Abdelkebir, president of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, said all those missing were Tunisians, mostly young people. Seven members of the same family and a man with his pregnant wife were reportedly among the passengers. sa