At least 13 Tunisians missing as migrant boat headed for Italy capsizes

What the report says

At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sank off Tunisia while heading toward Italy, according to the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, a rights group that tracks migration. The group said the vessel left early Thursday, and only two people were rescued. One survivor reportedly told rescuers from a local boat that those on board had been stranded at sea for hours after the craft capsized.

The second survivor was said to be in critical condition, according to the group’s head, Mostafa Abdelkebir. The report does not give the exact location of the sinking or identify the boat’s route beyond its intended journey toward Italy. The incident comes amid continuing Mediterranean migration pressure, even as departures from Tunisia have reportedly fallen in the past two years because of tougher maritime controls and a crackdown supported by the European Union.

More broadly, the Mediterranean crossing from North Africa to Europe remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. The International Organization for Migration says tens of thousands of people have gone missing there since 2014. Rights groups have also criticized the EU’s cooperation with Tunisia on border enforcement, warning that it can contribute to abuses at sea and forced returns. Those concerns frame the latest disappearance as part of a wider, long-running humanitarian and policy crisis.