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Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Tunisia's Coast, 12 Feared Dead as Lone Survivor Pulled From the Sea With Burns
A vessel packed with young migrants bound for Italy sank off Zarzis overnight Friday; two bodies have been recovered, a dozen remain missing, and grieving families clashed with police as the search stretched into Sunday.
A small boat carrying roughly 15 migrants toward Italy capsized off Tunisia's southeastern coast overnight Friday into Saturday, leaving two dead, a dozen missing and a single survivor recovering in a hospital with burns.
The vessel, mostly ferrying young men from the town of Ben Guerdane, sank about 14 nautical miles off Zarzis after departing between the two coastal towns, according to the Associated Press. Two bodies were recovered and taken to Sadok Mokaddem regional hospital on the nearby island of Djerba; roughly 12 people remained unaccounted for as of Sunday.
Survivor found floating in a life jacket
The lone survivor was spotted Saturday by a passing commercial vessel, floating in a life jacket, and has been hospitalized in Zarzis since Friday night with first-degree burns under medical observation. National Guard units, army personnel, volunteer sailors, a helicopter and coast guard boats have continued searching for the missing.
National Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli told Tunisia's state news agency TAP that authorities had recovered the two bodies and transferred them to the Djerba hospital, per reporting carried by the Washington Post. Families of the missing gathered in Ben Guerdane on Saturday evening, and local Tunisian outlets, including Kapitalis, reported clashes between angry residents and law enforcement over the pace of the search.
SEARCH TEAMS CONTINUE COMBING THE WATERS OFF ZARZIS AS HOPE FOR THE MISSING FADES
Zarzis has for years been one of the primary Mediterranean departure points for Tunisians and sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe. A similar 2022 disaster off the same coast, in which 18 people went missing, triggered weeks of protests after families accused authorities of botching the search and burying unidentified bodies without notifying relatives — a backdrop fueling the anger seen in Ben Guerdane this weekend.
Search operations for the roughly 12 missing were continuing as of Sunday, with officials cautioning that the death toll is likely to rise given the days that have passed since the boat's Thursday-night departure.