Many migrants aspiring to Europe start their dangerous journey from the coast of Tunisia.
About 40 Tunisian migrants have been missing in the Mediterranean Sea for five days, according to the Tunisian National Guard, according to AFP.
The migrants left the city of Sfax in Tunisia between Wednesday and Thursday last week. The destination of the boat carrying the migrants was Italy. The search was launched after the relatives of the people on the trip lost contact with the boat. The search is still ongoing.
Many migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe start their dangerous journey from the coasts of Tunisia or Libya. The shortest distance from Tunisia to Italy to the island of Lampedusa is about 130 kilometers.
The central Mediterranean has become the world's most dangerous migration route. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2,270 people died last year on the migration route in the central Mediterranean. The route has claimed more than 20,000 lives since 2014.
From Tunisia the number of those who left has increased significantly since the Tunisian president Kais Saied ordered officials to take swift action to curb illegal immigration in February last year.
Saied also claimed that immigrants are responsible for much of Tunisia's crime, which has led to firings and evictions and violence against them.
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