Tunisia's navy rescued eight migrants whose boat sank as they tried to reach Italy from Libya, a government official said today. Seventeen others were missing.
The navy deployed two ships and a helicopter to search for them, he added.
He said the migrants, from sub-Saharan Africa, had begun their journey from Libya three days ago, trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Italy's Interior Minister Giuliano Amato has said this week he feared migrant were shifting to Lampedusa after other routes to Europe like Spain's Canary Islands received more attention.