Tunisia recovers bodies of 31 drowned migrants

TUNIS, Tunisia

The bodies of 31 irregular migrants have been found off the coast of Tunisia, authorities said on Monday.

Bodies recovered off the coast of Sfax, Mahdia, and the Gabes province included two children, according to National Guard spokesman Hosam Eddin Al-Jabali.

He said initial assessments indicate that the migrants were from different African countries.

For years, North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco have seen migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – embark on often fatal attempts to reach Europe in hopes for a better life.