A shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa claimed the lives of 41 migrants, according to survivors who spoke to local media.
Four survivors revealed to rescuers that they were on a boat that sank on its way to Italy after leaving Sfax, Tunisia.
The four survivors arrived in Lampedusa on Wednesday. They were originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
On the journey from North Africa to Europe so far this year, more than 1,800 people have died.
Three men and a woman who managed to survive the incident revealed to rescuers that they were on a boat with 41 other people, three of whom were children.
They claimed their boat departed from Sfax last week on Thursday, but it sank shortly after.
They continued by saying that a cargo ship had saved them, and they had been taken aboard an Italian coast guard ship afterwards.
It is unclear whether this ship is one of the two shipwrecks in the area that the Italian coast guard reported on Sunday.
Sfax, a port city about 80 miles (130 km) from Lampedusa, is reportedly a popular entry point for migrants looking for safety and a better life in Europe.
More than 2,000 new arrivals to Lampedusa have recently been rescued by Italian patrol boats and humanitarian organizations.
In recent months, there has been an uptick in attempts to leave Tunisia by boat following a wave of racism against black Africans.
Source-BBC
