At least two migrants were killed and regarding 20 others are missing following their boat sank between Tunisia and Italy, according to the German non-governmental organization “Rescuship” and Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
The ship “Nader”, which belongs to the non-governmental organization, rescued 22 migrants and transferred them on Sunday followingnoon to the Italian island of Lampedusa, according to Stephen Seifert, an official in Rescuship.
The organization described the operation earlier Sunday on Twitter, saying that when its ship arrived at the scene, the migrants had spent regarding two hours in the water, and indicated that in addition to rescuing 22 people, its members recovered two bodies.
“This is a terrible tragedy that might – and should have – been prevented through a humane approach to migration rather than barbed wire at European borders,” the organization added.
This is just the latest in a series of disasters in the Mediterranean, where scores of migrants trying to cross have drowned, and scores have been rescued from rickety boats.
Some of the coasts of Tunisia lie only regarding 150 kilometers from Lampedusa. The coasts of the North African country are increasingly being used for the perilous migration attempts of migrants from West Africa, Sudan and sub-Saharan Africa.
