Tunisia Arrests 12 After Deadly Migrant Shipwreck

Tunisian authorities have arrested 12 individuals, including a prominent smuggler and his wife, following a tragic shipwreck that claimed the lives of 15 migrants off Djerba island, Arab News reported yesterday.

The incident occurred on Monday when a boat carrying approximately 60 migrants capsized. Initially, the coast guard reported 12 deaths, later revising the toll to 15, with 31 survivors rescued.

President Kais Saied has ordered an investigation into the incident, describing it as “painful and strange.” Despite Djerba being heavily policed and frequented by tourists, it has rarely served as a launch point for migrants. Tunisia and neighboring Libya have become key departure locations for those risking the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration reports over 30,309 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean over the past decade, with more than 3,000 occurring last year. Since January, Tunisian rights group FTDES has documented at least 400 migrant deaths and disappearances in shipwrecks off Tunisia.