Migrant Ship Capsizes off Tunisia, Leaving Multiple Fatalities

By Nicole Winfield, Renata Brito and Frances D’Emilio | Associated Press

A boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia in rough seas, with four survivors rescued and brought to land on Wednesday, according to the Italian Red Cross and rescue groups.

The survivors revealed that they departed from Sfax, Tunisia, on August 3rd on a metal boat with a total of 45 people. The vessel capsized approximately six hours into their journey due to a huge wave, as reported by RAI state television.

The Red Cross stated that the four survivors managed to use inner tubes and climb onto another nearby empty vessel, which highlights the large number of boats leaving from Sfax and the rough seas in the area that have caused several other capsizings in recent days.

Photos released by the Sea-Watch humanitarian rescue group captured the four survivors waving for help from the boat and eventually reaching a commercial tanker named Rimona. These migrants were then transferred to an Italian coast guard vessel, which brought them to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, according to Sea-Watch’s Paul Wagner.

Frontex, the European Union border agency, spotted a drifting boat in the Libyan search and rescue region and immediately informed all national rescue coordination centers as well as issuing a mayday call due to the emergency. Sea-Watch flew to the location, spotted the vessel, and alerted the closest merchant vessel, which happened to be the Rimona, as stated by Wagner.

Based on the GPS location shared by Sea-Watch, the survivors were spotted within the Libyan search and rescue zone, approximately 66 kilometers (40 miles) from Tunisia and about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Lampedusa.

The International Organization for Migration reported that this shipwreck brings the total number of dead and missing in the central Mediterranean to over 1,800, making it the most active and dangerous migration route in the world.

The Red Cross confirmed that the four survivors, who are currently being cared for on Lampedusa, are in good condition and will soon be transferred to the Italian mainland. The group mentioned that three of the survivors claim to be minors, while the fourth survivor is an adult male, all from Ivory Coast and Guinea. However, U.N. agencies reported that only one of them is a minor.

Dr. Adrian Chiaramonte, a doctor on Lampedusa who treated the survivors, stated that they had minor wounds and were dehydrated but overall in good health. According to Chiaramonte, the survivors mentioned that another boat saw them but did not stop, and an hour later they were rescued by a helicopter and then the oil tanker. The survivors also reported that around 15 people had rudimentary lifesavers with them. No bodies have been recovered.

Over the weekend, rough seas led to several shipwrecks and dramatic rescue operations to save survivors. Italian authorities managed to rescue dozens of migrants from the sea and rocky reefs off Lampedusa, but at least 30 people were reported missing by survivors from capsized vessels. Eight bodies were washed ashore in Sfax.

While Libya’s lawless coasts used to be the main departure point for migrant smuggling operations, Tunisia’s eastern coast, particularly the port city of Sfax, has become the primary launching point for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, to reach Italy and other parts of Europe in small boats.

Recent departures may be a result of Tunisian authorities cracking down on Black migrants. Tunisian President Kais Saied has made baseless claims that sub-Saharan migrants are involved in a plot to change the country’s identity and demographics, which has fueled tensions between locals and Black foreigners.

Since early July, hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants have reportedly been rounded up from coastal cities and forcibly taken to deserted border areas with Libya or Algeria – both countries with a history of human rights violations, abuses against migrants, and collective deportations.

While Tunisia’s interior minister admitted that small groups are pushed back into the desert border areas with Libya and Algeria, he denied any mistreatment.

Tunisian authorities estimate that around 17,000 sub-Saharan people are currently concentrated in the Sfax area.

According to the Interior Ministry, over 93,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, more than double the number of arrivals during the same period in 2022. The majority of the arrivals are from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Tunisia.

The Italian Premier, Giorgia Meloni, who leads a right-wing government that includes the anti-migrant League party, has called on the EU to join efforts in persuading Tunisia to crack down on smuggling operations, but the boats continue to set off.