More than 100 migrants rescued after boats sink off Tunisia

Tunisian naval forces rescued 108 migrants from drowning after their Europe-bound boats sank in the Mediterranean, a Tunisian official said on Sunday.

Those rescued overnight included 94 people from different nationalities while the rest were Tunisians, the spokesman for the Tunisian National Guard, Houcemeddine Jbabli, said in a statement.

He added that Tunisian naval units had thwarted six illegal migration attempts on on New Years' Eve.

More migrants have been attempting the dangerous crossing from the North African coast heading to Italy in recent months.

According to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, a non-governmental group, some 18,000 migrants from Tunisia reached the Italian coast during 2022.

Some 580 others had lost their lives while making the journey across the Mediterranean, the forum said.