(MENAFN) At least 40 African migrants, including infants, perished Wednesday in a desperate bid to reach European shores from Tunisia's eastern coastline, according to local officials.

A overcrowded boat transporting roughly 70 sub-Saharan African migrants capsized near Salakta in the Mahdia governorate during the early morning hours, a Tunisian private radio station confirmed.

The disaster claimed 40 lives, while Tunisian coast guard crews managed to pull 30 survivors from the waters, the broadcaster reported, citing Walid Chtiri, spokesperson for the Mahdia Primary Court.

Chtiri confirmed that the prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the deadly incident.

Tunisian officials routinely document thwarted illegal crossings and conduct rescue operations involving hundreds of migrants—both Tunisian nationals and individuals from across the African continent—fleeing economic collapse and political instability in their homelands.

Tunisia confronts mounting pressure from the EU to strengthen maritime surveillance and block migrant vessels before they set sail.

In September 2023, the European Commission committed €127 million in financial assistance to Tunisia through a memorandum of understanding that addresses multiple priorities, including curbing irregular migration flows into Europe.

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