The Tunisian National Guard on Wednesday (December 18) said they had recovered the bodies of 20 migrants and rescued five survivors after a boat sank off the coast of the North African nation. The survivors were of sub-Saharan origin, reported the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).

The Tunisian state news agency TAP reported that the boat got into trouble around 13 miles off Sfax, although it had originally set off from Chebba on Tuesday evening at around 11 p.m. local time, authorities said.

Search operations were underway for anyone still missing, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Tunisia has replaced Libya as the major departure point towards Europe. Tunisians themselves are making the crossing, as well as many other migrants from sub-Saharan African countries. Sfax, located close to the Italian island of Lampedusa, is the port from which boats most often set out.

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Missing and dead

In 2023, around 140,000 people tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe from Tunisia, according to UN data. That represents 138 percent increase from 2022, reported CNN.

Hundreds of migrants have died while attempting the crossing, mostly as a result of drowning, according to the UN migration agency IOM.

This is the second boat to have resulted in multiple drownings off Tunisia within a week. Last week, at least nine people died after their boat sank off the coast. At least six migrants are reportedly still missing from that incident.

With Reuters, TAP, AFP and AP