A maritime accident on the Tunisia coast has left nine people dead – 8 among them Bangladeshis. Besides, 27 Bangladeshi survivors were rescued. The remaining deceased person is a Pakistani citizen, read a foreign ministry press release issued Tuesday.
On February 14, a group of migrants left Juara coast of Libya around 11:30pm local time towards Europe on a boat. During the voyage, the boat sank around 4:30am on the Tunisia coast.
The boat was carrying 52 passengers, and one boat driver. Forty-four survivors, including Bangladeshis, have been rescued. Among the survivors 8 are Pakistanis, 5 Syrians, 3 Egyptians, and the boat driver.
The victims have been identified as Sajal, Nayan Biswas, Mamun Seikh, Kazi Sajeeb, Kaisar, Rifat, Russell, and Imrul Kayes Apon, hailed from the Madaripur and Gopalganj districts of Bangladesh. Specifically, the first five victims originated from various villages within the Rajoir upazila of Madaripur, while the remaining was from Muksudpur upazila in Gopalganj.
Rescue operations recovered the bodies of the eight Bangladeshis and one Pakistani, which were subsequently transferred to local hospitals.
The foreign ministry’s report further highlighted that among the Bangladeshi victims, seven were traveling without passports, indicating the desperate measures taken by individuals in pursuit of better opportunities.
