The corpses of 150 migrants from Libya have washed up on the shores of Tunisian holiday destination Kerkennah.
The bodies were those of people who had been travelling on a boat bound for Italy in a bid to escape the bloodshed in Gadaffi’s war-torn homelands.
The boat capsized after its passengers ran to one side to meet rescue workers from the Tunisian navy.
The passengers had been without food and water for days. Around 250 further passengers are missing although 580 were saved by the rescue mission.
A spokesperson from the UN refugee agency said: "Up to now 150 bodies of refugees have been found off the shores of Kerkennah."
The BBC reports that the ship was manned by people with very little maritime experience and the boat got into problems shortly after leaving Tripoli on Saturday.
The survivors will now be placed in Red Cross camps near Ras Adjir, close to the Libyan border.
Map courtesy of worldatlas.com
Kerkennah, a set of islands in the Gulf of Gabes, is a popular spot for domestic tourism and has built up a loyal British following.
by Dinah Hatch
