Tunisia rescues 95 migrants stranded at sea

ZARZIS, Tunisia

Tunisia said Friday that it rescued 95 irregular migrants off its coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

“The migrants were rescued after their boat broke down on the southern coast of Zarzis in Medenine province,” said Monji Selim, the head of the Red Crescent in the province.

According to the Tunisian official, the migrant boat set off on Thursday from the Libyan city of Sabratha towards Europe.

Selim said there were 59 migrants from Sudan, 17 from Syria, seven from Egypt, six from Bangladesh, three from Guinea, two from Ghana, and one from Tunisia.

The migrants will be transferred to one of the places designated to spend the period of compulsory quarantine, he stated.

For years, Maghreb countries – Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia – have witnessed attempts by migrants from mainly sub-Saharan Africa to reach Europe.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat