Tunisia’s National Guard has recovered 12 bodies from the sea after a boat carrying migrants sank off the country’s southeastern coast.

Two people remain missing following the incident.

The boat was carrying 15 people when it sank about 14 nautical miles off the shore of Zarzis on Friday night. Only one passenger was rescued. Search operations recovered three bodies on Saturday and nine more on Sunday, bringing the total to 12.

Most of the migrants were from Ben Guerdane, a marginalised city near the Libyan border. On Saturday night, residents of the town staged protests over the shipwreck, blocking roads and setting tyres on fire.

Tunisia, whose coast lies about 145 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa, is a major departure point for migrants attempting the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in search of better lives in Europe.

The central Mediterranean crossing is regarded as the world’s deadliest migration route.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of migrant deaths on this route more than doubled in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. At least 914 migrants have died or gone missing along the route so far this year.