Tunisia recovers 19 migrant bodies from Mediterranean crossing attempt

Nineteen bodies were recovered off the Tunisian coast, a common departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the coast guard reported. 

The bodies were found near Mahdia and Sfax, Tunisia's second-largest city, where recent tensions between migrants and police have escalated. 

This year, over 49,000 individuals have reached Europe by sea, with more than 7,000 traveling from Tunisia to Italy. 

Thousands more have been stopped by North African forces, and the UN's International Organisation for Migration estimates 473 are dead or missing.