Six more bodies have been recovered off the Tunisian coast, the interior ministry said, raising the death toll to 12 after a boat carrying migrants capsized last week. A total of 37 people, all Tunisian, had boarded the boat from near the coastal city of Sfax in a clandestine bid to reach the Italian coast, according to a security source. The makeshift vessel capsized on Tuesday night last week off Mahdia, a coastal town in east-central Tunisia.
The latest six bodies, found on Sunday, came after six were retrieved on Thursday -- although authorities had initially reported eight.
Fourteen people were rescued, leaving 11 still missing. Tunisia is a key departure point for migrants seeking to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa just 130 kilometres away, often in vessels that are barely seaworthy. - AFP
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