At least six migrants have drowned and another 30 are missing after the boat they were in capsized off the Tunisian coast.
Thirty-four people were rescued by Tunisian navy and coastguard vessels.
Survivors said 70 migrants had been aboard the boat from a range of countries including Egypt, Sudan and Morocco.
A Tunisian defence spokesman said they had set off from Libya and had been hoping to reach Europe.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says that in the first nine months of last year, at least 1,300 migrants disappeared or drowned trying to cross from North Africa to Italy.
BBC
