Tunisia rescues 487 migrants in crowded boat off its coast

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s defense ministry says 487 migrants, including 93 children, have been rescued off the North African country’s coast as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in an overloaded boat. The ministry said in a statement Friday that the vessel had left from neighboring Libya carrying migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The rescue operation was led by a Tunisian patrol boat and ships from the country’s navy and national guard near the island of Kerkennah, off the city of Sfax. This year alone, United Nations officials estimate that 1,600 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean, the main gateway to Europe for migrants trying to enter the continent.