At least 12 people have died after a boat carrying about 15 mostly young passengers capsized off the southeastern coast of Tunisia, authorities said.

The Tunisia National Guard recovered 12 bodies over the weekend after the vessel sank about 14 nautical miles off Zarzis on Friday night. Search operations continued on Sunday for two people still missing.

One passenger survived after reportedly spending about 48 hours adrift at sea before being rescued by a commercial vessel on Saturday, according to Tunisian radio station Mosaique, cited by the Associated Press.

The passengers were believed to have been attempting to reach Italy, with the vessel reportedly heading towards Lampedusa, an Italian island located about 145 kilometres from Tunisia.

National Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli said the search-and-rescue operation involved National Guard and naval units, Civil Protection personnel and two helicopters.

In a statement, the National Guard confirmed the recovery of 12 bodies and said efforts to locate the remaining missing passengers were continuing.

Authorities also said arrangements were being accelerated to return the recovered bodies to their families.

Families among passengers

Fourteen of those aboard were reportedly residents of Ben Guerdane, a coastal town in southeastern Tunisia near the Libyan border, while the other passenger was from nearby Zarzis.

Reports said seven members of the same family were among those aboard. A man and his pregnant wife were also reportedly travelling on the boat.

The vessel was said to have departed between Zarzis and Ben Guerdane on Thursday morning before sinking the following night.

Protests erupt in Ben Guerdane

The deaths triggered protests in Ben Guerdane, where many of the passengers lived.

Demonstrators reportedly blocked roads and set tyres on fire, demanding that authorities intensify rescue efforts and locate those still missing.

Security forces were said to have used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

The incident has also renewed concerns over the economic pressures facing young people in Tunisia’s border regions, where limited employment opportunities have contributed to growing frustration.

Official figures put Tunisia’s unemployment rate among people aged 15 to 24 at 35 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, down from 38 per cent in the first quarter. Youth unemployment stood at about 35 per cent among men and 37 per cent among women.

Ben Guerdane and other towns in southeastern Tunisia have long depended heavily on formal and informal cross-border trade with Libya. The region, however, has faced persistent economic challenges and limited opportunities for young people.

The latest tragedy adds to the growing number of deadly incidents involving boats attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, highlighting the risks faced by migrants and other passengers seeking better economic prospects or opportunities abroad.