Tunisia Intensifies Search as Migrant Boat Tragedy Sparks Unrest in Ben Guerdane

Ben Guerdane grapples with unrest following the deadly sinking of a migrant vessel near the southeastern coast.

Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026

Volunteers in Tunisia have resumed the search for two individuals still unaccounted for after a migrant boat carrying 15 people sank off the southeastern coast, as Ben Guerdane continues to grapple with the aftermath of violent demonstrations triggered by the disaster.

Verifiable footage showed rescue teams in Zarzis departing on fishing vessels on Monday to comb the waters for the missing.

The migrant boat, believed to have been en route to Italy, capsized late on Friday after departing from an area between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane with 15 mostly young passengers on board. The vessel went down approximately 14 nautical miles (26 km) off the coast of Zarzis.

A sole survivor was rescued by a commercial ship after spending around 48 hours stranded at sea, according to local media reports.

The bodies of 12 individuals were recovered by Sunday, as confirmed by the Tunisian National Guard.

The fatalities have fueled public grief and outrage, igniting clashes in Ben Guerdane on Sunday evening. Based on guard data, 14 of those aboard hailed from Ben Guerdane, with one additional passenger from Zarzis.

Demonstrators took to the streets, setting fire to tires and barricading roads. Security forces responded by deploying tear gas to break up the crowd. Protesters voiced demands for improved living standards and economic investment, citing prolonged neglect and scarce opportunities as primary factors driving young people to attempt perilous sea journeys to Europe.

Mostafa Abdelkebir, president of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, noted that seven members of a single family were among those on board. Speaking to Reuters on Monday, he reported that a Ben Guerdane hospital had received at least 19 migrant bodies recovered from the sea within the previous 48 hours.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether all recovered remains stem from the same incident. Abdelkebir added that forensic teams are conducting DNA testing to verify identities and ascertain the exact number of passengers aboard.

Calls for a nationwide day of mourning have emerged in response to the deaths.

Lawmaker Imad Oulad Jibril described the event on Sunday as “a national tragedy where our youth flee hardship on land only to vanish beneath the waves.”

The opposition Democratic Bloc condemned the sinking, linking it to Tunisia’s broader economic crisis. In a statement, the party asked: “When making the journey to sea is simpler than staying in Tunisia, who bears responsibility?”

This incident echoes past maritime disasters, such as the 2018 Kerkennah tragedy, which claimed over 100 lives and resulted in the dismissal of the then-interior minister. Similarly, a 2022 boat sinking off Zarzis left at least 18 dead, prompting weeks of unrest.

Tunisia’s southeastern coastline lies roughly 145 km (90 miles) from Lampedusa, Italy.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the central Mediterranean remains the world’s most hazardous migration corridor, with 821 documented deaths or disappearances recorded along the route this year—more than double the figure from the corresponding period last year.

Across the Mediterranean basin, at least 1,065 people have died or gone missing, per the organization’s latest data.

Source link