20 migrants dead after boat sinks, more missing

TUNIS, TUNISIA » About 20 African migrants were found dead after their smuggling boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe. Five survivors were rescued and the Tunisian navy is searching for up to 20 others still believed missing. Coast guard boats and local fishermen found and retrieved the bodies in the waters off the coastal city of Sfax in central Tunisia. According to survivors, the migrant smuggling boat was carrying about 40 or 50 people heading toward Italy. The boat was overloaded and in poor condition, and faced strong winds Thursday morning that may have contributed to the sinking, said National Guard spokesman Ali Ayari. It was carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.