2 migrants dead off Tunisia: reports

Two unidentified bodies were recovered off Tunisia's eastern coast after a migrant boat capsized, local media reported on Friday, with one person still missing and 28 rescued.

Most of the passengers were Tunisian, according to the reports, which said that the boat had set sail from Teboulba, a coastal town some 180 kilometres south of the capital Tunis.

Tunisia and neighbouring Libya have become key departure points for migrants, often from other African countries, who risk perilous Mediterranean Sea journeys in the hopes of reaching better lives in Europe.

Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt to make the crossing. Italy, whose Lampedusa island is only 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Tunisia, is often their first port of call.

In late October, the bodies of 15 people believed to be migrants were recovered by authorities in Monastir, eastern Tunisia.

And in late September, 36 would-be migrants -- mainly Tunisians -- were rescued off Bizerte in northern Tunisia.