Eight boat migrants drown off Tunisia

Kerkennah (Tunisia) Oct 9 (IANS/AKI) At least eight migrants perished when their boat collided with a Tunisian Navy vessel and sank off the eastern Kerkennah islands the Tunisian Defence Ministry said on Monday.

Rescuers recovered the bodies of eight migrants and saved 38 people after the accident late on Sunday around 55 km from the Kerkennah islands.

"The migrant boat rammed into the Tunisian navy ship and this caused the shipwreck " a ministry spokesman said.

It is feared the death toll could rise as search operations for more bodies were still taking place.

Around 70 people were believed to have been on board the boat at the time of the collision according to the UN migration agency the International Organisation for Migration.

The boat reportedly set sail from the eastern Tunisian coastal city of Sfax.

--IANS/AKI
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