Pakistan nationals among 487 migrants rescued off Tunisia’s coast

ISLAMABAD: The Tunisian navy rescued 487 migrants from an overloaded boat that ran into difficulty in rough seas in the Mediterranean as they tried to reach Europe.

The vessel was carrying migrants from Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia and the Palestinian territories. The navy said they included 13 women and 93 children.

In recent months, several drowning incidents have occurred off Tunisia, with an increase in the frequency of attempted crossings from Tunisia and Libya towards Italy.

Hundreds of thousands of people have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing in recent years, many of them fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

The migrants were taken to the port of El Kit in Ben Guerdane.