The Tunisian authorities announced on Wednesday the recovery of 20 bodies of irregular migrants off the coast of the province of Sfax, in the centre-east of the country, and the rescue of five migrants of sub-Saharan African nationality.

Maritime units of the Maritime Guard Region recovered 20 bodies of irregular migrants on Wednesday night,’ the General Directorate of the National Guard said in a statement on Facebook.

‘The naval units are still carrying out combing and search operations to locate the rest of the missing and to deal with the incident,’ the statement added.

Tunisian authorities have recovered 462 bodies of irregular migrants since the beginning of 2024 until last May, compared to 714 in the same period in 2023.

Almost weekly, Tunisian authorities announce that attempts at irregular migration to Europe have been thwarted.