The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Friday that 37 migrants are missing after their boat capsized between Tunisia and Lampedusa, reporting four survivors.
According to the UN, the survivors from sub-Saharan Africa arrived in Lampedusa late Thursday after being rescued from the shipwreck by another vessel.
The survivors told the IOM they departed Sfax, Tunisia, for Italy with 46 people, but their boat sank in heavy winds.
An IOM spokesperson in Italy told Reuters that five of their fellow travelers were picked up by another boat, and 37 are missing, thought dead, including seven women and a kid.
The UN High Commission for Refugees reported a similar event, although 40 persons were missing instead of 37.
After Tunisia cracked down on unlawful sub-Saharan African migrants and accusations of racial attacks during an economic downturn, migration across the Mediterranean from Tunisia increased this year.
A court official said Thursday that 12 African migrants were missing, and three perished when three boats capsized off Tunisia, while the coastguard rescued 152.
It was unclear if the four survivors who told the IOM were on one of these boats.
