Tunisia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the refugees were of Tunisian and other nationalities, adding that the rescue operation was still ongoing in the Mediterranean.
Some 180 refugees, including 80 from other African countries had been travelling on the packed boast when it sank, security sources said.
The deaths are the latest to come from a refugee crisis that has gripped countries on various sides of the Mediterranean.
Nine people including six children died on Sunday near Turkey’s southern province of Antalya after a speedboat carrying 15 refugees sank off the coast.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is affiliated to the United Nations, estimates that 660 had died attempting to cross into Europe through the Mediterranean since the start of this year.
Tunisia has become a major embarkation point for refugees from Africa who seek to reach southern coasts of Italy.
