The death toll of illegal immigrants killed in the boat sinking off the southeastern coast of Tunisia on Sunday rose to 46, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The number of rescued people so far amounted to 75, including 60 Tunisians, five from Sub-Saharan Africa, two Moroccans and one Libyan, said Rachid Bouhawala, the press officer at the Ministry of Defense.

Relief operations are continuing in coordination among the army, units of the Maritime Guard and the Civil Protection.

At least 180 illegal immigrants were aboard the boat stranded off the island of Kerkennah in the southeastern coast of the country, including 80 African nationalities.

Kerkennah is known as one of the main illegal gateways to Europe from Tunisia. Since the beginning of this year, about 1,910 Tunisian migrants have reached Italy by sea, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights said in a study that 9,329 Tunisians have attempted to cross the Mediterranean in 2017, with 34 percent being intercepted by the Tunisian maritime forces.

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