TUNIS: At least 10 Tunisian migrants were missing and one died after their boat sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said on Sunday.
Tunisia is facing an unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as a main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in the hope of a better life in Europe.
The latest tragedy raises the number of dead and missing off the North African country’s coasts to more than 600 in the first half of 2023, far more than in any previous year, according to figures compiled by Reuters.
Tunisia’s coast guard rescued 11 people from the boat, which set off from the coast off the town of Zarzis, Faouzi Masmoudi, a judge in the city of Sfax, told Reuters.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, a human rights group, said on Saturday that the number of dead and missing in boat sinkings has reached 608 and the coast guard had foiled attempts to board boats by about 33,000 people from Tunisia’s coasts.
Tunisia is under pressure from European countries to stop large numbers of people departing from its coasts. But President Kais Saied has said it will not act as a border guard.
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Boat sinking off Tunisia leaves one dead, at least 10 migrants missing
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Boat sinking off Tunisia leaves one dead, at least 10 migrants missing
- Tunisia is facing unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as main departure point for people fleeing poverty, conflict
- The latest tragedy raises number of dead and missing off the North African country’s coasts to more than 600 in the first half of 2023
San Francisco hit by electricity outage, leaving 130,000 people without power
SAN FRANCISCO: A huge electricity outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, leaving 130,000 residents without power and prompting city authorities to ask residents to stay home, according to official and utility provider statements.
Large parts of the West Coast tech hub, which has a population of more than 800,000 people, were plunged into darkness with disruptions to public transport and many traffic lights not working on a busy Christmas shopping weekend.
“We are working with first responders and city officials on an outage in San Francisco affecting approximately 130,000 customers,” said Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the city’s main power provider, in a statement on X.
The city’s mayor told residents to stay off roads if possible, adding some traffic signals were out and authorities had sent police and traffic officers to manage intersections.
“But we’ve got rain coming, it’s night time. If you don’t need to go out, stay home and I’ll keep you posted,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said at the city’s emergency operations center in a video posted on X.
A fire at a substation had caused the fire, Lurie added, saying it was not clear when power would be fully restored.
Large parts of the West Coast tech hub, which has a population of more than 800,000 people, were plunged into darkness with disruptions to public transport and many traffic lights not working on a busy Christmas shopping weekend.
“We are working with first responders and city officials on an outage in San Francisco affecting approximately 130,000 customers,” said Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the city’s main power provider, in a statement on X.
The city’s mayor told residents to stay off roads if possible, adding some traffic signals were out and authorities had sent police and traffic officers to manage intersections.
“But we’ve got rain coming, it’s night time. If you don’t need to go out, stay home and I’ll keep you posted,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said at the city’s emergency operations center in a video posted on X.
A fire at a substation had caused the fire, Lurie added, saying it was not clear when power would be fully restored.
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