Tunis (Tunisia), Jun 9 (AP) Tunisian coast guards on Tuesday recovered the bodies of 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who drowned off the country's east coast amid a new wave of dangerous attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.

Sfax court spokesman Mourad Tourki said an investigation has been opened following the shipwreck off the Kerkennah Islands.

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He said a boat carrying 53 people departed from Sfax toward Italy last week. He says a search continues for the remaining passengers.

Last month, Tunisian authorities said at least one migrant drowned and six were missing from another shipwreck. Over 80 were rescued.

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According to the UN refugee agency, attempts to reach the Italian coast from Tunisia have jumped by 150% in the first four months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

Tunisia is both a transit country for migrants from elsewhere in Africa and a source of Europe-bound migrants.

Tunisian National Guard spokesman Houssemeddine Jebabli aid last week that 140 migrants who were in Tunisia illegally had been arrested. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)