Tunis, March 26: Boat sinkings off the coast of Tunisia over the weekend killed at least 29 people from countries in sub-Saharan Africa who were trying make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, the Tunisian National Guard said on Sunday.

Tunisian fishermen recovered 19 bodies, said National Guard spokesman Houssameddine Jebabli. The Coast Guard also recovered eight bodies on Saturday night and rescued 11 survivors who'd been aboard a boat that went down, he said. Two other bodies were recovered in waters off the Tunisian port of Sfax, he said. Greece: 17 Dead As Migrant Boat Sinks off Coasts of Lesvos Island in Aegean Sea; Watch Video.

It wasn't immediately clear how many more people might also have been aboard boats that sank. A Tunisian NGO that tracks migration issues said five boats are believed to have foundered in the past two days off Sfax and that 67 people remain unaccounted for. Congo Boat Capsize: Overloaded Passenger Boat Sinks in Lulonga River, 145 Feared Dead.

People fleeing conflict or poverty routinely take boats from Tunisian shores toward Europe, even though the central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Many are from sub-Saharan Africa.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)