Migrants drown after boat capsizes

As many as 70 migrants have drowned after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, according to a UN migration official.

At least 16 other people have been rescued. An official with the International Organisation for Migration ( IOM) in Tunisia said the smuggling boat was coming from Libya when it sent a distress signal in international waters off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax.

The official said between 60 and 70 people drowned, and the surviving migrants are being questioned and cared for by Tunisian authorities. They included people from Bangladesh and Morocco.