Fatal boat sinkings off Tunisian coast claim lives of African asylum seekers.

At least 29 asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa have died in two separate boat sinkings off the coast of Tunisia. The latest deaths come as Italian media report that a record 2,000 refugees and migrants had arrived in Lampedusa within 24 hours. The coast near Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in the hope of a better life in Europe. The Italian Prime Minister has called on the International Monetary Fund and some countries to help Tunisia quickly to avoid its collapse.