Tunisia struggling to bury drowned migrants

The port city of Zarzia in Southern Tunisia is struggling to find a resting place for migrants who drowned at sea trying to reach Europe.

Zarzis is overwhelmed in its efforts to bury drowned migrants.

“Why only Zarzis? Because in Zarzis culture we can’t leave bodies. It’s sad, but these people could be our sister, our mother, our father, our children. And in Zarzis, we have young people who have been shipwrecked at sea. And we know how it feels to have someone drowned at sea”, said Deputy Zarzis Mayor, Faouzi Khenissi.

The Gabès hospital receives these bodies and is the only one in the region with the capacity to take DNA samples.

“For the Gabès Regional Hospital there are fears that this number and this situation will recur at the hospital and in the Gabès region. Our fear is that there is no plan. We need a plan. A group is needed to deal with these disasters that may happen again in the future”, said Hospital Director, Hechmi Lakhrech.

The port city of Zarzis is appealing for international support.

“An international appeal. Help us. The municipality of Zarzis is at it’s limits. We’re have limited means. We can afford to do better than this”, he added.

On July 1, more than 80 bodies were recovered on the Tunisian coast between the port city of Zarzis and Djerba in the south of the country.

On July 12, 45 more bodies were retrieve in a day. The Red Crescent said the country is struggling to support rescued migrants and even more so those who died.