TUNIS, August 23, 2026: Tunisian coast guard forces recovered the bodies of 11 migrants after their boat sank off the country’s coast while heading towards Italy, authorities said on Sunday.

Six other migrants remained missing as coast guard, military and civil protection teams continued search operations. Two helicopters also joined the effort.

Search Continues for Missing Migrants

The boat left Tunisia early Thursday carrying 15 mostly young people. It sank off the Tunisian coast during the weekend.

Only one person had been rescued by Saturday, according to the head of a Tunisian migrant rights organisation.

The Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights said seven people aboard the boat belonged to the same family. A man also travelled with his pregnant wife.

The sole survivor reportedly spent about 48 hours adrift at sea before a commercial vessel rescued him.

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Protests Erupt in Ben Guerdane

All of the migrants came from Ben Guerdane in southeastern Tunisia, near the Libyan border.

Dozens of young people gathered in the town late Saturday to demand faster search operations for the missing migrants.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean in search of a route to Europe.

Deadly Mediterranean Migration Route

The central Mediterranean remains one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.

Migrants from Africa and the Middle East frequently attempt the journey from North Africa to Europe using overcrowded or unseaworthy boats.

The latest sinking adds to the long list of deadly incidents involving migrants attempting the crossing.