Tunis [Tunisia], June 15 (ANI/Xinhua): Tunisia arrested 72 migrants who attempted to cross the Mediterranean to enter Italy illegally, the Tunisian Mini
Tunis [Tunisia], June 15 (ANI/Xinhua): Tunisia arrested 72 migrants who attempted to cross the Mediterranean to enter Italy illegally, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense said Tuesday.
Divers who on Sunday inspected the hull of a tanker loaded with 750 tonnes of fuel that sank off southeast Tunisia detected no leaks, officials said.
The Equatorial Guinea-flagged Xelo, which on Saturday sank in the Gulf of Gabes, has settled on its side at a depth of about 20m, the Tunisian Ministry of Environment said.
“No leak has been detected,” it said in a statement.
The inspection was carried out by divers accompanied by the ship’s captain and engineer, said Mohamed Karray, spokesman for a court in Gabes city that is investigating the sinking.
The Xelo was traveling from Egypt to Malta when
Medical sources said the crewmembers are in stable condition. The accident raised the specter of a potential “an environmental disaster,” prompting the government to put the local authorities on high alert.