ZARZIS, Tunisia: Tunisian coastguards on Saturday intercepted 90 African migrants whose makeshift boat heading from Libya for the Italian island of Lampedusa broke down off Zarzis, the Red Crescent said.

“At 0500 GMT the Tunisian coastguard rescued 90 African illegal migrants from a makeshift vessel after it broke down off Zarzis” in southern Tunisia, Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told AFP.

The illegal migrants, who included four women and a child, two days ago left the Libyan port of Zwara some 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the border with Tunisia, bound for Italy. Slim said those rescued were 31 Sudanese, 19 Somalis, 18 Eritreans, 10 Nigerians, 6 Moroccans and 6 Chadians.