Tunisian Coast Guard Rescues Dozens of Migrants Off Country's Coast

Earlier on Saturday, the authorities of the North African nation said that at least 23 Tunisian migrants were missing after setting off in a boat for Italy.
Sputnik
Tunisia's coast guard has rescued 52 migrants off the North African country's coast, the Tunisian National Guard said in a statement.
In the same statement, authorities added that they had found the bodies of four migrants off the country's coast.
The National Guard also reported the arrest of nine smugglers and the confiscation of their boats.
"National Guard units in the Mediterranean managed to disrupt two maritime border crossings as part of a crackdown on the phenomenon of illegal immigration," the statement said.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya are considered major departure points for those seeking to reach Europe illegally by boat.
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Migrants attempting to reach Europe often arrive on Tunisia's shores from around the world, particularly from conflict-ridden areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 12,000 people are registered as refugees and asylum seekers in Tunisia.