TUNIS, Tunisia

At least four people are dead and more than 20 others are missing after two boats carrying irregular migrants sank off Tunisia’s southern coast Sunday.

In a statement to the local press, Fevzi Mesmudi, a judicial official of the Sfax Court, said the two boats were carrying irregular migrants from sub-Saharan African countries.

"Seventeen people were recovered from one boat, which sank 35 miles (56 kilometers) off the coast of Sfax, while around 20 migrants went missing. Search and rescue efforts for the migrants continue," he said.

Mesmudi said there were 43 irregular migrants on the second boat that sank off Sfax and that 36 were recovered. Four bodies were discovered and three people were lost at sea.

Every year, thousands of African irregular migrants arrive in Tunisia in search of a better life in Europe via the Mediterranean. While some migrants from Tunisia's immigrant neighborhoods make it to Europe, others perish at sea.