Between 200 and 270 people are missing in the Mediterranean after the boat carrying them illegally to Europe broke down, Tunisia's state news agency quoted local officials as saying.
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The Tunisian coast guard rescued 570 refugees from the boat but those that are missing are believed to have drowned in the rush to get off the vessel, the TAP news agency reported.
It also said the rescue was complicated by bad weather.
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The boat encountered problems on Tuesday about 12 miles off the Tunisian island of Kerkennah, the news agency said, and was carrying refugees who were fleeing the violence in neighboring Libya.
Thousands of people fleeing upheavals in North Africa have been heading to Italy on rickety boats in recent months, creating an immigration crisis in Lampedusa, an Italian island situated half way between Tunisia and Sicily.














