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Refugees in an unseaworthy boat in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe (symbol photo)
Photo: imago stock&people/ imago images/Milestone Media
81 migrants were rescued from distress at sea off the coast of Tunisia on Saturday.
The 80 men and one woman left the village of Abu Kammasch just behind the Libyan border in a boat towards Europe, as the Tunisian seaworthy said.
The damaged boat was then intercepted six kilometers off the northeast coast of Tunisia.
According to the information, 38 Egyptians, 32 Bangladeshis, ten Sudanese and one Moroccan between the ages of 20 and 38 were on board.
They were taken to El Ktef port near Ben Guerdane, where they were to be handed over to the Tunisian National Guard.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya are important transit countries for refugees from Africa and the Middle East who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
The Italian island of Lampedusa is only about 130 kilometers from the Tunisian coast.
However, the boats are often not suitable for crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 2,000 migrants drowned or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year.
Last year there were around 1400.
jso/AFP
