Tunisian man finds brother’s body after migrant boat sinks, leaving 12 dead
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The Tunisian National Guard announced that 12 bodies had been recovered after a boat carrying 15 migrants sank off the coast of Zarzis in southeastern Tunisia, while search operations are still underway for two missing people.
The National Guard said the boat sank late Friday about 14 nautical miles off the coast. Only one migrant survived, while three bodies were recovered Saturday and nine on Sunday.
The tragedy sparked nighttime protests in the city of Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border, where 14 of the migrants who took part in the journey were from.
Residents blocked roads and set fire to tires in anger over deteriorating conditions.
A video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a man seeing his brother’s body floating in the sea.
The man was constantly shouting “My brother! My brother!” in the circulating video.
Tunisia is a major departure point for Italy's Lampedusa, which is only 145 kilometers away.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says migrant deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean doubled during the first months of 2026, with about 914 people reported dead or missing since the beginning of the year.
Despite Tunisia signing a $290 million agreement with the European Union in 2023 to combat irregular migration, with Italian support, dangerous conditions continue to threaten migrants seeking to reach Europe.
