26 Tunisian illegal migrants missing off Tunis

TUNIS. January 20. KAZINFORM. A boat with 35 Tunisians trying to go illegally to Italy on board capsized Monday off its capital Tunis after hitting a rock, local daily Le Temps reported Tuesday.

The boat, which set off from northern Tunisian coast of Gammarth, hit a rock and then capsized. Twenty six Tunisian migrants were missing and nine others rescued, the report said. Five people swam back to the beach at the resort town of La Marsa, some 20 km north of Tunis and informed the coast guard about the incident. Four others were rescued by the country's coast guard, it added. Many Tunisians try to travel to Italy in small and rickety boats, seeking for jobs and better life in the European country; Kazinform cites Xinhua.