TUNIS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of illegal immigrants killed after their boat sank off the southeastern coast of Tunisia on Sunday has risen to 60, according to the United Nations migration agency.
Among the 60 bodies transferred to the forensic department at a hospital, 48 were confirmed as Tunisians and 12 were foreigners whose identifications were in progress, Lorena Lando, chief of mission at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunisia, said late on Monday.
A total of 68 illegal immigrants, including 60 Tunisians and eight foreigners, were rescued in relief operations in coordination with the army, as well as units of the Maritime Guard.
The spokesman of the Interior Ministry Khalifa Chibani said on Monday that Tunisian security forces intercepted eight individuals involved in planning the case off the island of Kerkennah on Saturday evening.
Local media quoting security officials reported that the ill-fated boat was packed with about 180 migrants, including 80 from other African countries.
Kerkennah is known as one of the main illegal gateways to Europe from Tunisia. Since the beginning of this year, about 1,910 Tunisian migrants have reached Italy by sea, according to the IOM.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights said in a study that 9,329 Tunisians attempted to cross the Mediterranean in 2017, with 34 percent intercepted by Tunisian maritime forces.
According to Chibani, so far, no less than 900 illegal immigrants have been prevented from crossing Tunisian maritime borders since the beginning of this year's Ramadan, which began on May 17.
