Hommam Al Nassim 
The Tunisian National Guard announced the recovery of the bodies of four migrants off the country’s coast on Saturday, amid an increase in the number of migrant boats heading from Tunisia to Italy in recent weeks.
In a separate incident, the Coast Guard rescued 52 migrants, and the National Guard arrested nine smugglers and seized their boats.
Earlier, the National Guard reported that at least 23 Tunisian migrants were missing after setting off for Italy on a boat.
Tunisia is facing an escalating migration crisis, having replaced Libya as the main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in search of a better life in Europe.
Multiple dimensions of the illegal migration crisis in Libya