Up to 600 missing at sea in central Mediterranean in first quarter, says UN agency

Dozens of migrants cling to the side of a sinking boat in the waters off Tunisia on Wednesday. AP

As many as 600 people attempting to reach Europe by sea from Tunisia and Libya went missing during the first three months of 2022, the International Organisation for Migration has said.

The number is the highest since 2014.

In the latest tragedy, a wooden boat carrying more than 100 people capsized on Tuesday morning near the islands of Kerkennah, in south-eastern Tunisia, due to bad weather, AP reported, citing Tunisian authorities.

While 30 people from that boat were rescued, 75 are still missing, the IOM said on Wednesday.

Tunisian navy and coastguard units continued to comb the area on Thursday where the tragedy occurred.

On Wednesday, dozens of migrants fell into the water as they struggled to cling to an upturned boat off the coast of Tunisia.

At least 110 people were rescued by the non-governmental organisation Open Arms.

The central Mediterranean migration route, which runs between Libya and Tunisia across the sea, remains particularly deadly, Alice Sironi, IOM's head of migrant protection, told AP.

“In addition to our humanitarian role to take care of the survivors in terms of accommodation and food, we are committed to strengthening the capacities of the Tunisian authorities to come to the aid of boats in distress,” Ms Sironi said.

Only one body has been recovered so far from Tuesday’s capsize, said Mourad Torki, a representative of the courts of Sfax, the capital of the region, suggesting there is little hope of finding survivors.

“Generally, it takes several days for the corpses to be washed up by the sea,” Mr Torki said.