Ahmad 
Tunisia announced the recovery of nine bodies after the sinking of an irregular migration boat off the coast of Zarzis in the southeastern province of Medenine, with an estimated 52 migrants of foreign nationalities on board.
Tunisian National Guard official Hossam Eddine Jebabli told Reuters that at least five African migrants had died after their boat sank off Tunisia while trying to reach the coast of Italy.
He said the Tunisian coastguard recovered the bodies of the men and rescued 44 other people on board the same boat.
It is noteworthy that 1,313 illegal migrants died or went missing off the coast of Tunisia in 2023, a record number the country has never seen before, according to statistics prepared by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
Tunisia, along with Libya, is the main departure point for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe.