Tunisia Coast Guard Retrieves 31 Bodies of Migrants from Sea

A Tunisian national coast guard helps migrants to get off a rescue boat in Jbeniana, Safx, Tunisia April 23, 2022, in this screen grab taken from a handout video Wahid Dahech/ Handout via REUTERS

The Tunisian coast guard said on Monday it had recovered 31 bodies of African migrants who drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.

It added that among the bodies recovered off the coast of Sfax, Kerkennah and Mahdia were the bodies of two women and two children.

The number of migrant boats from Tunisia heading towards Italian coasts has sharply increased recently.