A statement from the Tunisian Red Crescent said it was feared that more than 80 migrants, the majority of whom are Afghans, had been drowned.

Under pressure from civil society groups, Tunisian authorities have stepped up efforts to systematically collect the DNA of each unidentified drowned migrant, hospital director Hechmi Lakhrech told AFP. 

The samples could well be the only hope of informing the victims’ families of their fate, he added.

Boat launched to cross Europe after leaving Libyan coast had capsized off Tunis. (ILKHA)