TUNIS, March 9 (Reuters) – At least 14 migrants died when their boats sank off Tunisia on Tuesday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a Tunisian security official said.

The coastguard rescued 139 others, and searches for more survivors are still ongoing off the coast of Sfax, the national guard official Houssem Jbebli said.

The coastline near the Tunisian port city of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, and searching for a better life in Europe. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Jan Harvey)

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