TUNIS: Tunisia has allowed dozens of migrants, mostly from Bangladesh, to disembark after three weeks stranded in the Mediterranean, so that they can return to their home countries, the Red Crescent said on Wednesday.
An Egyptian boat rescued the migrants in Tunisian waters last month. But local authorities in the governorate of Medinine said its migrant centres were too overcrowded to let them ashore, leaving the vessel stranded 25 km off the coastal city of Zarzis.
“After they were stranded for three weeks at sea in difficult conditions, Tunisia agreed to dock the ship, and migrants accepted to return to their countries in coming days,” Red Crescent official Mongi Slim said.
Among the group who set off from Libya, 64 are from Bangladesh while nine are Egyptians, one is Moroccan and one Sudanese, the Red Crescent said.
All migrants will immediately be deported to their countries, except for the migrant from Sudan who has asked for asylum. — Reuters
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