Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Wednesday fired Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem, who the PM’s office said will be replaced temporarily by Justice Minister Ghazi Jribi, after one of the worst migrant boat accidents in recent years.
The boat packed with some 180 migrants sank on Sunday after leaving the Kerkennah Islands off the coast of Sfax province. The death toll has risen to at least 68, with dozens still missing.
Earlier on Wednesday Brahem accused officials of negligence over the incident, announcing the sacking of 10 people.
Among those fired were national guard officials based in Sfax and others from the maritime unit in Kerkennah.
Most of the people on board the boat that sank on Sunday were Tunisians.
In a visit to the area on Tuesday, Chahed said "social reasons pushed these young people into this adventure, compounded by a state of frustration and despair".
On Monday, the premier had called for greater efforts to quickly dismantle the "criminal networks that profit from these young people looking to emigrate and putting their lives in danger".
