Tunisian authorities on Thursday rescued 264 Bangladeshis, along with three Egyptian nationals, from the Mediterranean Sea, who attempted to sail from Libya to Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) the migrants were placed in quarantine at a hotel on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
Tunisia’s coastguard said the migrants had been stranded at sea after their boat broke down.
The Tunisian navy helped brought the migrants to shore at the Ben Guerdane port in southern Tunisia, near the border with Libya, and they were handed over to the IOM and the Red Crescent.
There have been 11,000 departures from January till April 2021 from Libya, over 70 percent more than in the same period last year, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR, reports Barron’s.
The agency said the “deteriorating” conditions of migrants in Libya and Tunisia are pushing many to make the dangerous crossing from the North African coast to Europe.
Earlier on May 17, Tunisian coastguards and navy members rescued 68 among 81 Bangladeshis when they were going to Italy from Libya through the sea.
Of them, 13 are still missing.
According to IOM figures, more than 1,000 migrants hoping to reach Europe had set off from Libya and ended up in Tunisia since January, and the number of departures is rising.
There have been 11,000 departures from January to April 2021 from Libya, over 70 percent more than in the same period last year, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.
The agency said the “deteriorating” conditions of migrants in Libya and Tunisia are pushing many to make the dangerous crossing from the North African coast to Europe.
Red Crescent official Mongi Slim said centers set up to house migrants in Tunisia are full.
According to the UN, at least 760 people have died making the Mediterranean crossing between January 1 and May 31, compared with 1,400 last year.
