70 migrants dead after boat sinks off Tunisia

No fewer than 70 migrants have drowned after their boat sank off the Tunisian coast, Tunisia’s state news agency TAP reported on Friday.

“Coastguard units are trying to recover the bodies of the dead off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax,’’ the agency added, citing local officials.

According to the report, 16 other people have been rescued by fishermen near the site of the accident.

“The migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa,” the agency reported without further details.

It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the capsized boat, which is believed to have set sail for Europe from neighbouring Libya.

The Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants, including Tunisians, who seek to reach Europe.