Search Operations Continue in Tunisia After Deadly Migrant Shipwreck Triggers Unrest

Volunteers in Tunisia have continued the search for two people still missing after a boat carrying 15 migrants sank off the country’s southeastern coast, as the city of Ben Guerdane reels from violent protests sparked by the tragedy.

Footage, verified by Al Jazeera, showed volunteers in the city of Zarzis heading out to sea on fishing boats on Monday to search for the missing. The migrant boat, believed to be headed towards Italy, sank late on Friday after setting off from a location between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane with 15 mostly young people on board, approximately 14 nautical miles (26km) off the coast of Zarzis.

According to Tunisian media, only one person survived after drifting at sea for about 48 hours before being rescued by a commercial vessel. The Tunisian National Guard reported that the bodies of 12 people were recovered by Sunday.

The deaths have sparked a wave of grief and anger, leading to violent protests in Ben Guerdane on Sunday night. The Tunisian National Guard stated that approximately 14 people on the boat were from Ben Guerdane, and one was from Zarzis. Protesters burned tyres and blocked roads, while police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowds. Demonstrators demanded better living conditions and economic development, pointing out that a lack of opportunities and years of marginalisation are pushing young people to undertake dangerous sea crossings to Europe in search of a better life.

Mostafa Abdelkebir, the head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, noted that those on board included seven members of the same family. He informed the Reuters news agency on Monday that a hospital in Ben Guerdane had received at least 19 bodies of migrants recovered from the sea over the past two days, though it remained unclear if all the bodies belonged to victims from the sunken vessel. Abdelkebir added that genetic testing was underway to identify the bodies and confirm how many individuals had been on the boat.

Calls have emerged in Tunisia for a national day of mourning. Lawmaker Imad Oulad Jibril described the event on Sunday as “the tragedy of a nation that sees its youth fleeing the hardships of the land only to be swallowed by the sea”. Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Bloc party connected the sinking to Tunisia's ongoing economic strains, questioning who is at fault when crossing the sea becomes easier than living within the country.

Tunisia has witnessed similar tragedies in recent years, including the 2018 Kerkennah disaster where over 100 people died or went missing, and a 2022 incident in Zarzis where at least 18 people died, triggering weeks of protests.

Tunisia’s southeastern coast is located just 145 km (90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa. Data from the International Organization for Migration identifies the central Mediterranean as the deadliest migration route globally, with at least 821 migrants having died or gone missing on this path this year—more than double the toll recorded over the same period last year. Across the broader Mediterranean, at least 1,065 people have died or gone missing.