Tunisia serves as a crucial departure point for irregular migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, tragically lost their lives after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official confirmed to AFP on Thursday.

The incident occurred near the Kerkennah Islands, located off the coast of central Tunisia. All the individuals involved, both the deceased and the survivors, were from sub-Saharan African countries and were attempting to reach Europe, according to Zied Sdiri, the head of civil defence in the city of Sfax.

Tunisia has long been a critical departure point for irregular migrants seeking to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing in hopes of reaching Europe. Every year, tens of thousands of people risk their lives in these perilous journeys, with many heading towards Italy. Lampedusa, a small island in Italy just 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Tunisia, is often their first destination.

This tragic incident adds to a growing number of recent shipwrecks, which have been worsened by adverse weather conditions. Just days earlier, on December 18, at least 20 migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa lost their lives in a shipwreck off the coast of Sfax, with five others still missing.