Small boat bound for Sardinia sinks: at least nine migrants dead
The boat overturned by the waves during the journey from Algeria to the island: there would have been 16 people on board, the number of missing is unknown
The provisional toll of the sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of the province of Skikda on the eastern coast of Algeria is at least nine dead and several missing.
The local media reported it. According to what has been learned, the destination of the boat was Sardinia: it would have followed a well-established route towards the south-western side of the island.
On board, according to local sources, there were sixteen "harragas", as migrants defined as clandestine by the Algerian authorities are called. Two would have been saved, while nine bodies have been recovered. Of the others there would be no trace.
An Algerian source from the province of Skikda reported that the boat capsized due to high waves and strong winds, specifying that the occupants come from the provinces of Skikda and Guelma.
On social media, the news has gone viral and there is talk of a death toll of 15, but the Algerian authorities have so far not released any official statement on the shipwreck.
Henry Fresu
