Tunisian volunteers and residents of Ben Guerdane search for missing migrants after a deadly boat sinking.
Tunisian volunteers and residents of the city of Ben Guerdane are searching for two missing people after a boat carrying 15 migrants sank off the country's southeastern coast. The vessel, which was headed toward Italy, sank approximately 14 nautical miles off the coast of Zarzis. Of the 15 people on board, only one survived the 48-hour drift at sea, while 12 bodies were recovered by Sunday. Protesters in Ben Guerdane expressed anger over the tragedy, demanding better economic development and living conditions. The protesters noted that a lack of opportunities is forcing young people to undertake dangerous sea crossings to Europe. The Tunisian National Guard reported that police used tear gas to disperse the crowds who burned tires and blocked roads. Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed that a hospital in Ben Guerdane received at least 19 bodies of migrants over the past two days. Imad Oulad Jibril, a lawmaker, described the event as a tragedy of a nation seeing its youth flee hardships only to be swallowed by the sea.