Seventeen bodies of migrants attempting to reach Europe clandestinely were dumped by the sea off the coast of northeastern Tunisia, civil protection spokesman Moez Triaa told AFP on Saturday.
The bodies “were found off the coast of Cabo Bueno. Most are from sub-Saharan Africa, but there are also Syrians,” he added.
They were all thrown into the sea between Friday and Saturday, Triaa added, unable to elaborate on their starting point or the cause of their drowning.
On the southern shore of the Mediterranean, Tunisia and Libya are two of the main starting points for migrants who dream of a better life in Europe, often fleeing conflict or poverty.
In total, 15,671 migrants, including 584 women, managed to reach Italian soil from Tunisian coasts in 2021, compared to 12,883 (including 353 women) in 2020, according to the Tunisian forum on economic and social rights, which specializes in migration issues.
More than 123,000 immigrants landed in Italy in 2021, up from about 95,000 the year before, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Nearly 2,000 migrants are missing or drowned in the Mediterranean last year, up from 1,401 in 2020, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to this body. The United Nations agency estimates that more than 18,000 migrants have died or disappeared since 2014.
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