Seventeen migrants drown, 166 others rescued off Tunisian coast

The boat initially had around 400 migrants on board, 200 of whom were picked up by units of the Libyan navy, Mongi Slim, head of the Tunisian Red Crescent said.

At least 17 migrants from Bangladesh drowned and more than 300 were rescued by Tunisian and Libyan naval units after their boat sank in the Mediterranean, according to aid groups on Thursday. Survivors said all those who died had been in the hold of the boat because they had paid smugglers less than others, and were suffocated by smoke when the engine caught fire, according to Mongi Slim, head of the Tunisian Red Crescent. There has been a spike in crossings and attempted migrant boat crossings to Europe from Libya in recent months.