At least 44 migrants drowned off the coasts of Tunisia and Turkey
- At least 44 migrants have drowned in two separate incidents after their boats sank off the coasts of Tunisia and Turkey on Sunday.
- In a third incident, one migrant drowned and at least 240 more were rescued from 11 small boats by Spain's maritime rescue service.
- At least 1,178 migrants have died worldwide in 2018 through May 28, with at least 660 of the deaths occurring in the Mediterranean.
At least 44 migrants have drowned in two separate incidents after their boats sank off the coasts of Tunisia and Turkey, according to several reports on Sunday.
At least 35 migrants died and 67 more were rescued when their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia, according to Reuters, citing the defense ministry. The boat had about 180 migrants of Tunisian and other nationalities, and the rescue operation was ongoing.
Nine more migrants also died and six more were rescued after their speedboat sank early Saturday morning off the coastal province of Antalya, according to the Turkish state-run media outlet Anadolu.
In a third incident, one migrant drowned and at least 240 more were rescued from 11 small boats by Spain's maritime rescue service. The migrants had left from the African coast.
At least 1,178 migrants have died worldwide this year through May 28, with at least 660 of the deaths occuring in the Mediterranean, according to the United Nations Migration Agency.
At least 385 have died between the coasts of Italy and Tunisia, and at least 235 migrants have also died between the coasts of Spain and North Africa.
Many migrants who try to cross the Mediterranean from sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East flee poverty, persecution, or violent conflicts.