The Tunisian Navy has found six bodies of illegal immigrants missing after their boat sank 7 miles off the coast of Cheba, eastern Tunisia, five days ago.

“Their identities will be established through genetic analysis,” National Guard Headquarters spokesman Hossam al-Jabali said today, adding that “search operations continue with the support of a National Guard helicopter. Guards Aviation Unit.

Of note, Tunisian naval units managed to rescue 14 illegal immigrants and retrieve 6 bodies, with a guard official suggesting that there were between 34 and 37 migrants on the boat.

For years, Tunisian coasts have seen a large influx of African migrants wanting to reach the southern shores of the European Union, where illegal immigration has recorded thousands of victims, according to statistics from the International Organization for Migration.

Last year, Tunisian authorities arrested 20,616 illegal immigrants, including 10,371 foreigners, mostly from African countries, who planned to travel from the country’s coast towards Italy.