40 migrants dead, 30 rescued after boat capsizes off Tunisian coast
40 bodies, including infants, were recovered, and 30 people were rescued. They were all from countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
40 sub-Saharan African migrants died, and 30 were rescued after a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia, a key route for persons trying to reach Europe illegally.
Reports indicate that the Wednesday incident occurred when a vessel ferrying 70 immigrants, including women and children, capsized near the Mediterranean port of Mahdia in central Tunisia.
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"Initial investigations indicate that there were 70 people on board the vessel," Walid Chtabri, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Mahdia, said.
"40 bodies, including infants, were recovered, and 30 people were rescued. They were all from countries in sub-Saharan Africa."
Tunisia, located about 145 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa, has become a major transit point for thousands of migrants seeking better economic opportunities or fleeing conflict.
In 2025 alone, over 55,000 irregular migrants arrived in Italy, mostly from Libya, with nearly 4,000 coming from Tunisia, according to data from the UN Refugee Agency.
The central Mediterranean route remains one of the world's most dangerous migration corridors. According to UN data, in 2023, more than 210,000 people attempted to use the crossing, with over 60,000 intercepted and returned to Africa.
Many of them travel in overcrowded or unsafe vessels, facing harsh weather and limited rescue options. An additional 2,000 migrants died at sea in the same year.
Since 2014, over 32,800 people have died or gone missing, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In 2023, Tunisia signed a $290 million (Sh37.4 billion) deal with the European Union (EU) to strengthen border controls and curb irregular migration. However, human rights groups have criticised the agreement, citing reports of forced expulsions, arbitrary detentions, and violence against migrants, which they maintain undermine Tunisia's international obligations.
Amid growing pressure, President Kais Saied earlier this year urged the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to speed up voluntary returns of migrants to their home countries.
Aid organisations have repeatedly warned that without safer migration routes, the central Mediterranean crossing will continue to claim lives.
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