Tunisia evacuates 126 stranded illegal immigrants near Libya border

Tunisian authorities on Thursday transferred 126 illegal immigrants stranded at a border crossing with Libya to accommodation centers, reported Xinhua.

Boarding three buses, the immigrants were transferred from the Ras Ejdir crossing to safe shelters in the southeastern provinces of Medenine and Tataouine, near the border with Libya, where they would receive necessary care provided by the Tunisian Red Crescent, said a statement released by the Tunisian Interior Ministry.

On Wednesday, Tunisian Interior Minister Kamel Feki reached with Libyan Acting Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi a consensual solution to evacuate illegal immigrants from the border area between Libya and Tunisia by each party accepting a group of them.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the most popular transit points for illegal immigration to Europe.

Although Tunisian authorities have adopted rigorous measures to tackle the problem, the number of illegal immigrants from Tunisia to Italy has been on the rise.