At least 40 people are said to have died while 30 were rescued after a vessel sank near the city of Mahdia

At least 40 people have drowned and 30 others were rescued after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Mahdia, Tunisia, on Wednesday morning, local authorities have said.

The iron boat, carrying around 70 sub-Saharan migrants, capsized near Salakta, a coastal town in Mahdia governorate.

A local news agency citing the statement of Walid Chtiri, spokesperson for the Mahdia Primary Court, to Jawhar FM radio, reported that among the dead were women and children.

The Tunisian Coast Guard and naval units responded early in the morning, recovering bodies and rescuing survivors. The public prosecutor's office in Mahdia has opened an investigation into the incident.

According to several news outlets, the boat was attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, a route frequently used by people fleeing poverty and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. Mahdia, located about 150km south of Tunis, has become one of the key departure points for irregular migration toward Europe, alongside the port city of Sfax.

In February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that around 29% of people who arrived in Italy by sea in 2024 said they had departed from Tunisia, though the share dropped to about 5% in early 2025. The UN agency also stated that 1,842 people were recorded as dead or missing on Central Mediterranean routes in 2024.

In September, two separate boats carrying mostly Sudanese nationals capsized near the coast of eastern Libya near ‎Tobruk. One vessel was carrying 74 people, of which only 13 survived, while the other carrying 75 caught fire, with at least 50 people losing their lives.

"Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea," the IOM stressed after the tragedy.

In April, a migrant boat sank off the coast of Sfax, leaving eight people dead, according to InfoMigrants. The victims were mostly sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean.

(RT.com)