TUNIS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian Maritime Guard rescued 194 undocumented migrants heading toward Italy over the past week, according to a statement released by the Tunisian Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
"Units of the Maritime Guard rescued 194 illegal migrants last week, including 118 Tunisians and 76 of different African nationalities," said the ministry statement.
The statement noted that the rescue operations were carried out off different coasts, including the Kelibia coast in the northwestern province of Nabeul and the coast of Chebba town in the eastern Mahdia Province.
Other operations took place off Ghar El Melh town, a coastal area in the northern province of Bizerte.
The number of illegal migrants smuggling from the Tunisian coasts toward Italy has been increasing despite the strict measures taken by the Tunisian authorities to address the problem.
