A total of thirteen Tunisian citizens remain missing after the sinking, last Friday, of a vessel near Al Yadariya, in the Ben Guerdán region, off the coast of Tunisia.
The maritime surveillance center of Zarzis was activated as soon as the event was confirmed and the departure of several fishing boats from the ports of Al Katif, Zarzis, and Yerba was ordered, according to the Tunisian broadcaster "Mosaique FM".
In a first phase of the search and rescue tasks, two men were pulled from the sea. They are two young men from the Ben Guerdán district, one of whom has been admitted in critical condition to a hospital in Zarzis.
The testimony of one of the survivors indicates that the group was trying to reach the shores of Italy when the vessel suffered a breakdown and ended up sinking completely with about 15 people on board, including a pregnant woman. They all wore life jackets, but the bad weather conditions may have scattered them.
Tunisian authorities have deployed a rescue operation and have asked central and regional administrations to reinforce the area with more material and human resources.