One migrant has been rescued and at least 50 others are feared drowned after a boat sank in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tunisia, officials say.
The survivor spent nearly 24 hours in the water before being rescued and told aid workers he believes all other passengers on the vessel died. The information was provided by Alarm Phone, an organisation that operates an emergency hotline for migrants in distress at sea.
Alarm Phone says the boat departed from Tunisia, a major launching point for migrants attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe.
Malta’s armed forces say the man was rescued by a merchant vessel operating off Tunisia and later transported to Malta for medical treatment. Neither Maltese authorities nor Alarm Phone disclosed the exact time of the rescue.
Shipwrecks involving migrant boats remain common in the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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