At least five Tunisian migrants dead, seven others missing after shipwreck which had departed this morning from the coast of the city of Sfax, in central-eastern Tunisia.

The ship in which they had boarded”35 people, mostly Tunisians”, among them women and childrencapsized “shortly after leaving the coast in Sidi Mansour,” said Judge Fawzi Mashmoudi, a spokesman for the Sfax court, adding that “23 people were rescued.”

“A child and two women are among the dead,” he added.

As he stated, “the wreck occurred less than an hour after departure from Sidi Mansour“, a location known as a departure point for irregular migrants.

The city of Sfax has been the focus of attempts to illegally cross the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year departing from the coast of Tunisia, located, at the nearest point, at least 130 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The Sfax court began an investigation to determine the cause of the wreck. “It is possible that the ship was carrying a small number of sub-Saharan African citizens and that they are among the missing,” the spokesman said, stressing that searches were continuing to locate any survivors.

Another shipwreck occurred on the night of Friday to Saturday just 120 meters from the coast, in the port of Gabes, located almost 150 km south of Sfax. A 20-year-old Tunisian was lost in this wreck, as well as an infant, whose parents are among the 13 rescued, all Tunisians. Another five Tunisians are still missing.

Tunisia has been mired in economic crisis and plagued by major political tensions since President Kais Sayed assumed full power on July 25, 2021. Nearly 20 dissidents have been imprisoned since February.