TUNIS, Sept 30 (Agencies): Tunisian authorities have foiled five illegal immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean to the southern Italian coast, the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior said on Sunday.
According to the ministry, these attempts were foiled by the coast guard units in the capital Tunis and the coastal provinces of Mahdia, Sousse, Monastir, as well as Nabeul.
"More than 60 individuals, aged between 16 and 28, have been arrested while they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy aboard motorboats," read the report.
Large sums of money in Tunisian dinar and foreign currencies have been seized during this operation.
Thousands of illegal immigrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean every year as Tunisia is one of the main points of access to Europe through irregular channels.
Meanwhile, the Libyan navy on Sunday denied reports about more than 50 illegal immigrants drowning off the country's coast.
"The news that more than 50 immigrants have drowned off the Libyan coast is untrue. All the immigrants on the boat have been rescued," navy spokesman Ayob Qassem told Xinhua.
"Immediately after receiving this news, coast guards patrols headed towards the site of the mentioned boat. The search operation continued until dawn and involved three boats. The patrol members did not stop until the boat was found and all the immigrants on board have been rescued. The rescue operation took 24 hours," the spokesman explained.
Following the 2011 uprising that toppled the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya became a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores.
The United Nations Higher Commission of Refugees on Sunday stressed that Libya is not a safe port of disembarkation for immigrants, given the deteriorating security conditions.
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