The Tunisian National Guard announced that 17 Tunisian citizens are missing after a migrant boat capsized en route to the Italian coast, according to a breaking news report by Cairo News.
It noted that some of the 17 individuals’ families reported losing contact with them to local authorities, without detailing the dates of the reports or the shipwreck.
The search for the missing illegal migrants is still underway, it added.
Tunisia, located in the central Mediterranean, is one of the main departure points for illegal migrants heading to Europe. Despite the strict measures taken by the Tunisian authorities, illegal immigration from the Tunisian coast has been on the rise.