83 Bangladeshis rescued from Mediterranean

Another 83 Bangladeshis were rescued in the Mediterranean off the Tunisian coast on Sunday when they were trying to go to Europe across the sea illegally.

Asaduzzaman Kabir, labour welfare counsellor at the Bangladesh embassy in Libya, yesterday said the Bangladeshis were among 178 migrants rescued by the Tunisian navy.

"The migrants were found adrift in a wooden boat," he told this newspaper over the phone, adding that nationals of Egypt and Eretria were also rescued during the incident.

With the latest incident, at least 568 Bangladeshi migrants heading for Europe were rescued off the Tunisian coast in a little over three months, according to Bangladesh embassy in Libya.

On Thursday, at least 264 Bangladeshis were rescued in the Mediterranean off the Tunisian coast when they were trying to sail to Europe.

They were among 267 people, including three Egyptians, found adrift in the sea which is widely used by traffickers as a route for illegal migration from North African countries to rich European countries, including Italy, Greece and Spain.

Labour Welfare Counsellor Kabir said migrants rescued on Sunday were yet to be brought ashore. Tunisian authorities are likely to put them on isolation after bringing them ashore due to the pandemic situation.

He said they would take necessary steps for the Bangladeshis' wellbeing once their quarantine ends.

He added that the migrants might have started their journey from Libya's coastal township Juwara.

The Bangladesh mission in Libya provides consular service in Tunisia since Bangladesh does not have a mission there.

AFP on Friday reported, citing International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures, more than 1,000 migrants, hoping to reach Europe, had set off from Libya and ended up in Tunisia since January.

There have been 11,000 departures from Libya from January to April this year, over 70 percent more than in the same period last year, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.

The agency said the "deteriorating" conditions of migrants in Libya and Tunisia are pushing many to make the dangerous crossing from the North African coast to Europe.

According to the UN, at least 760 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean between January 1 and May 31, compared with 1,400 last year.