Aug 1, 2021 - World

394 migrants rescued from overcrowded boat near Tunisia

Yacob Reyes

A group of migrants wait in their boat before being checked by medical staff on August 28, 2020 in Lampedusa, Italy. — A group of migrants wait in their boat before being checked by medical staff on Aug. 28, 2020 in Lampedusa, Italy. Photo: Lorenzo Palizzolo/Getty Images

Two humanitarian rescue ships pulled 394 migrants from an overcrowded boat near Tunisia on Sunday, Reuters reports.

The big picture: More than 1,100 people fleeing from conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East have perished over the last year, according to the UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration.

Recently, migrant boat departures from Libya and Tunisia to Italy and other surrounding areas of Europe have increased.
The wooden boat the migrants were on had begun taking water, and its engine was not working, per Reuters.
The migrants were mostly men from Morocco, Bangladesh, Egypt and Syria.

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394 migrants rescued from overcrowded boat near Tunisia

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