Two Tunisian migrants, one of them a five-year-old child, lost their lives after their vessel broke down near Tunisia’s northern coast, the National Guard announced in a statement on December 30.

Rescuers managed to save 17 other passengers following a distress call on Sunday, with one body found aboard the boat and the child's body recovered from the water.

The National Guard said that "five were rescued while fighting for their lives after they jumped off the boat."

Authorities have meanwhile arrested four individuals suspected of organizing the attempted crossing.

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Tunisia as a launchpad to Europe

Tunisia remains an important departure point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, with Italy's Lampedusa island often serving as the first destination they can reach.

While Tunisia used to be a departure point mainly for sub-Saharan Africans, the North African country also continues to face significant economic challenges, including high unemployment, inflation, and sluggish growth in its own right – spurring irregular migration of its own nationals as well.

Meanwhile, mainly foreigners who get stuck in Tunisia after journeying there report severe human rights abuses in the country amid an overall xenophobic atmosphere.

The Mediterranean crossing is one of the deadliest irregular migration routes in the world, and recent months have seen an increase in shipwrecks, exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.

In December alone, over 35 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were reported as dead or missing in separate incidents off Tunisia's coast.

Earlier this year, Tunisian human rights group FTDES (Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights) reported that between 600 and 700 migrants had died or gone missing in shipwrecks departing from the country's shores.

In 2023, the perilous Mediterranean crossing claimed more than 1,300 lives or disappearances.

Read AlsoTunisia: At least 20 migrants die, five rescued as boat sinks

With AFP