Tragedy strikes as 15 migrants found dead off Tunisia's coast, and along border with Algeria

Authorities in Tunisia confirmed on Friday that at least 15 migrants have lost their lives this week, both off the country's coast and along its border with Algeria.

The city has also seen clashes between local residents and groups of migrants. After the death of a Tunisian man led to reprisals against the migrants, hundreds were deported to desert areas on the Libyan and Algerian borders.

Amid international outcry over the plight of those trapped on the Tunisian-Libyan border, in a dangerous no-man’s-land between armed border guards and without access to basic necessities, the Tunisian Red Crescent led an operation to bring them back to various sites in Tunisia earlier this week. But it remains unclear what will happen to them next.

On the Tunisian-Algerian border, two migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were found dead in two separate locations in the Hazoua region, according to regional court spokesperson Nizar Iskander. Local reports have said as many as 30 migrants died in the area, and local prosecutors have opened an investigation, Iskander said.