14 dead, 54 people saved after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

Tunisian coast guards recovered 14 bodies and rescued 54 people after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of the Sfax region, national guard spokesman Houssameddine Jbabli said on Thursday.

The migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa, Jbabli told dpa.

Hundreds of others were also rescued in the Mediterranean Sea during several operations carried out by the guards off the Tunisian coast.

The Tunisian coast has become a common launching point for thousands of migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Recently, the Tunisian authorities arrested hundreds of people from sub-Saharan Africa after President Kais Saied accused migrants from the region of being behind crime in the country.

His remarks were criticized by many, but the number of racist attacks has also increased, leaving many migrants feeling unsafe in Tunisia.