Three migrants died as a result of drowning on Friday and dozens are missing after a boat capsized in international waters off the coast of Tunisia, as reported by the Tunisian authorities.
Rescue attempts using a fishing boat saved sixteen migrants, according to the Ministry of Defence spokesman Mohamed Zekri.
Zerki also said the survivors disclosed that about 60 to 70 sub-Saharan Africans were on board the capsized boat which left Zouara on Thursday from Libya.
The survivors were transferred to one of the three Tunisian military units participating in the search operation, Zerki continued, adding that a Maltese helicopter was also mobilized.
According to Interior Ministry spokesman Sofiène Zaag, the boat from Libya was trying to illegally reach Italy, with about 75 migrants on board.
While the Italian authorities fear that the ongoing fighting in Libya will push thousands of Africans and Libyans to go to sea, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said several times in April that no one would be allowed to land in Italy.
The Mediterranean was “more deadly than ever” in early 2018, according to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which estimated that one in 18 people attempting to cross it die or disappear at sea.
