Four migrants have died and 51 are missing after a migrant ship sank off the coast of Tunisia's Kerkennah island. The country has seen a record wave of migration this year, with many boats carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa sinking in the Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia has replaced Libya as the main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in hopes of reaching Europe.
At least 300 people traveling from Senegal to Spain in three boats are missing, raising concerns about their fate along one of the deadliest sea routes for migrants. The boats departed from Mbour and Kafountine in Senegal, and there has been no contact since their departures. Spain's Maritime Rescue Service spotted a vessel near the Canary Islands that appeared to match one of the missing boats. The Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest, with nearly 800 deaths or disappearances in the first half of 2023. The Canary Islands have become a major destination for migrants, with over 7,000 arrivals in the first half of this year. The European Union faces criticism for its failure to prevent such tragedies.
An estimated 350 Pakistanis were on board an overcrowded fishing boat carrying migrants that sank off Greece last week, and many remain missing and may have died in one of the deadliest incidents in the central Mediterranean Sea. Only 104 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were rescued and 82 bodies have been recovered. The government has launched a crackdown on the human traffickers who arranged travel for the Pakistanis on the fishing boat, many of whom were seeking jobs in Europe. Officials are currently collecting DNA samples from people who say their relatives were on the vessel to help in the identification of the bodies.
