The bodies were recovered on Tuesday and Wednesday (September 24-25) in the sea off the coastal towns of Salakta and Chebba, Farid Ben Jha, spokesperson for the public prosecution in the Monastir and Mahdia governorates, told the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).

There was no further information about the identities of the dead.

The bodies of migrants – mostly from sub-Saharan African countries – are being recovered off Tunisia's coasts in increasing numbers. Since January 1, at least 341 bodies have been found, the interior ministry told AFP. In addition, at least 103 makeshift boats have capsized.

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Dangerous boats

Many migrants attempting to leave Tunisia for Europe do so in resoldered metal boats. The price for traveling in these boats is cheaper than on a former fishing boat or speed boat, but they are known to be highly dangerous. Not only do they tend to be overloaded with people, but also the soldering often cracks during the voyage, letting in water.

Once the water starts coming in, the boat’s safety is further compromised. Survivors have often testified to the panic that can set in on a boat that is filling with water. This panic sometimes causes the boat to list still further, catapulting people, many of whom can’t swim, in to the water.

Deadly route

According to the UN migration agency IOM’s Missing Migrants project, at least 1,121 migrants have been recorded missing, presumed dead, on the central Mediterranean route, which includes those setting off from Tunisia towards Italy, since the beginning of the year. The latest recorded incident occurred on September 23.

In 2023, the Tunisian human rights organization FTDES calculated that more than 1,300 people died or disappeared in shipwrecks off Tunisia.

Earlier in September, on September 11, Farid Ben Jha announced that the Tunisian coast guards had recovered the bodies of five African women migrants and a baby in waters off the town of Monastir.

With AFP and Reuters