12 Tunisians, including 3 children, die in migrant boat tragedy off Djerba, Tunisia

At least 12 Tunisians, including three children, were found dead after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Djerba on Monday, media reports said.

According to a judicial official, 29 people were rescued, while the cause of the sinking remains unclear. The boat went down at dawn, and the Tunisian National Guard was alerted by four migrants who swam back to shore.

Tunisia and Libya are key departure points for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, often risking dangerous Mediterranean crossings.

The crisis is driven by Tunisia’s weak economy and political instability. Since January, at least 103 boats have capsized off Tunisia’s coast, with 341 bodies recovered. Last year, more than 1,300 people died or disappeared in similar tragedies.

The International Organization for Migration has said more than 30,309 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in the past decade, including more than 3,000 last year.