17 illegal migrants rescued, 4 missing off SE Tunisia

The Tunisian maritime guard managed to rescue 17 illegal migrants off the country's southeast coast, while four others are still missing, said the Tunisian National Guard on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

"The illegal migrants were rescued from a sinking boat two days ago, off the coast of Sfax province," the guard said in a statement on its Facebook account.

The statement didn't specify the total number of those who tried to cross the Mediterranean illegally toward the Italian island of Lampedusa, adding that the organizer of the trip was arrested.

The search for the missing is still underway.

Tunisia, located in the central Mediterranean, is one of the main departure points for migrants seeking irregular entry into Europe. Despite the strict measures taken by the Tunisian authorities, illegal migration from the Tunisian coast has been on the rise.