TUNIS, Tunisia — Authorities in Tunisia have recovered the bodies of 20 individuals believed to have drowned after a tragic shipwreck off the Mediterranean coast. This area is commonly used by migrants attempting to travel to Europe by boat.

The Tunisian National Guard reported on Wednesday that coast guard personnel managed to rescue five survivors and discovered the deceased approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the north of Sfax. This specific coastline lies about 81 miles (130 kilometers) from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The National Guard has indicated that they are actively searching for additional missing individuals but did not specify how many people were aboard the ill-fated vessel when it departed.

In a bid to reduce fatalities at sea and curtail illegal migrant crossings to southern Europe, Tunisian authorities, with assistance from European nations, have intensified their border enforcement efforts. Despite these measures, reports of drownings and bodies washing ashore persist. Just last week, the authorities retrieved the remains of nine individuals who had apparently drowned in the same region of the coastline.

Migrant vessels, often constructed from iron and unsuitable for sea travel, are frequently employed by smugglers to navigate the treacherous Mediterranean waters. While exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, international organizations and local Tunisian NGOs estimate that hundreds of migrants have perished at sea in 2023. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that over 1,100 individuals have died or remain missing in the central Mediterranean waters near Tunisia and Libya. Meanwhile, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights estimates that between 600 and 700 people have lost their lives or disappeared off Tunisia’s coast.

This year, more than 19,000 migrants have departed from Tunisia, successfully reaching Italy, many of whom have subsequently filed for asylum according to UNHCR statistics. This figure is significantly lower than the 96,000 who undertook this perilous journey by the same time last year. Most of the migrants who have arrived in Italy in 2024 have come from Bangladesh, Tunisia, and Syria.

While no official statistics exist detailing the number of migrants currently in Tunisia, thousands are reportedly living in makeshift camps scattered among olive trees close to the coastline of Sfax.