Tunis: One migrant survived after a boat carrying migrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast, in an incident feared to have claimed the lives of around 50 people, according to migrant rescue groups. The survivor was transferred to Malta for medical treatment, officials from Alarm Phone, a migrant emergency organization, said.

According to Qatar News Agency, Alarm Phone reported that the man had spent about 24 hours at sea and that it is feared the remaining passengers on board the vessel perished after the boat sank. The organization added that the boat had departed from Tunisia, a common departure point for migrants attempting the perilous sea crossing to Europe.

In a separate incident, officials said a wooden boat carrying 28 African refugees was rescued by the non-governmental organization "Open Arms", about 45 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Malta confirmed that a merchant vessel rescued a man off the Tunisian coast and transported him to Malta for medical treatment, without specifying the timing of the rescue.