Twenty-two die, 42 missing as immigrant boat sinks off Tunisia

TUNIS (AFP) — Twenty-two would-be immigrants drowned and 42 were missing after a boat that was to have carried them across the Mediterranean broke up and sank off the Tunisian coast at the weekend, according to official figures.

The vessel, carrying 75 people in all, sank in the early hours of Sunday, the Tunisian navy said in a statement carried by the official TAP news agency. The vessel was attempting to sail to Italy.

Eyewitnesses said the boat broke in two after it had sailed overnight from a beach in Sousse province, on the country's eastern coast. The navy said a helicopter, a launch and a ship were sent out to try and find survivors.

"Half an hour after they left, the boat split under the weight of the passengers and broke in two, throwing everybody into the sea," said one witness.

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine ...