The Tunisian Red Crescent said that the ship departed from Zuwara in Libya and carried immigrants from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh.
The Tunisian Red Crescent Society said on Saturday that at least 43 migrants and refugees were drowned and 84 people were rescued after a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia.
According to the organization, the ship departed from Zuwara on the northwest coast of Libya and was carrying immigrants and refugees from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.
Red Crescent Society official Mongi Slim said: “The Navy rescued 84 migrants, and another 43 people drowned on a ship from Zuwara, Libya, to Europe.”
#Tunisia: 43 migrants are missing, 84 people were rescued after their ship departed from the port #??, #Libya, Rollover #Zarzis, The person in charge said @?croissant section #Madering, And most of the rescued came from #Sudan, #Eritrea with #Bangladesh. #TAP_En pic.twitter.com/ipHQmhQ1wA
— TAP News Agency (@TapNewsAgency) July 3, 2021
Libya is a frequent starting point for migrants to Europe to cross the dangerous Mediterranean.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants and refugees have died at sea while trying to reach Europe from Africa.
At least 866 people were drowned this year on their journey from North Africa across the Mediterranean.
In April, a ship sank off the coast of Tunisia, killing more than 40 people. In March, 39 people died off the coast of Sfax.
In June last year, a ship sank and at least 60 people were killed.
Human smugglers launch boats, many of them fragile rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats, crowded with migrants hoping to reach the coast of Europe seeking asylum.
Some people are fleeing conflict or persecution, and many of the hundreds of thousands are fleeing poverty.
According to data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior, nearly 19,800 immigrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of this year, compared with just over 6,700 in the same period last year.
