Tragedy Off Tunisian Coast: Dozens Die in “European Dream” Voyage

Forty illegal immigrants, including infants, drowned off the Tunisian coast at dawn on Wednesday. Rescue teams managed to save thirty other people, according to a statement by Walid Shataibri, the spokesperson for the Mahdia Governorate Court, to Agence France-Presse.

Shataibri stated that the accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, noting that “according to initial investigations, there were about 70 people on board the boat.” He confirmed the recovery of forty bodies, including children and infants, clarifying that the immigrants were from sub-Saharan African countries.

The central Mediterranean region is considered one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, where 32,803 people have been lost or have died since 2014, according to data from the International Organization for Migration.

In recent years, Tunisia, whose coasts are only less than 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa, and neighboring Libya have become major departure points for migrants from North Africa to the European continent.

In 2023, Tunisia signed an agreement with the European Union worth 255 million euros, nearly half of which was allocated to combating illegal immigration, leading to a noticeable decrease in departures to Italy.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, since the beginning of 2025, approximately 55,976 people have arrived on Italian shores, an increase of about 2% compared to the previous year. The majority came from Libya (49,792 people), while 3,947 migrants departed from Tunisia.

In early April, the Tunisian authorities began dismantling informal migrant camps that had been set up in olive groves near the Governorate of Sfax, where approximately 20,000 people lived.

In late March, the Tunisian President Kais Saied called on the International Organization for Migration to redouble its efforts to ensure the “voluntary return” of illegal immigrants to their countries, in light of the continuing frequent drowning incidents on the Tunisian coasts.