11 African Migrants Drowned By Sinking Ship

Illegal immigrants on a boat after being rescued by the Tunisian navy in waters near Ben Guerdane (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - At least 11 migrants from Africa reportedly died after the ship they were traveling in sank off the coast of Tunisia, Sunday, October 11. The ship sank while going across the Mediterranean to Lampedusa Island in Italy.

"The coastal patrol team found the bodies of eight women and three children off the coast near Sfax on Sunday night," Tunisian security officers said as quoted by Antara , Monday, October 12.

According to officials, about 30 people departed on the ship in hopes of arriving in Italy. The patrol team is still conducting other missing person search operations.

In 2019, some 90 African migrants drowned after their ship, sailing from Libya to Europe, capsized. The incident was the worst in Tunisian waters.

In 2018, Tunisian coast patrol officers also found five bodies of suspected migrants whose ship sank while crossing the Mediterranean to Lampedusa Island, Italy.

The group of human trafficking operators chose to use Tunisia as the departure point for immigrants heading to Europe because the Libyan coastal patrols, through the help of the army, tightened control over the operation of illegal immigrants.