Eight more people among 37 Bangladeshis, who feared dead in the tragic boat capsize off the Tunisian coast, were from Sylhet division.

With them, a total of fifteen victims of the tragic incident from Sylhet division, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Two of the eight people have been confirmed dead, reports the correspondent quoting their family members. The deceased were Abdul Muktadir, 22, son of Abdul Jalil and Abdul Kaiyum, 22, son of Alauddin of Lokra village of Habiganj Sadar upazila.

Kaiyum’s father Alauddin said that Mamun Miah, a survivor from the same village, called him from Tunisia and confirmed the death of them.

The six other missing are Abul Kashem, 22, son of Mosob Ali of Bagha Uttar village of Golapganj upazila in Sylhet; Dilal Miah, 32, son of late Israk Ali of Shimultala village and Rejwanul Islam Khokon, son of Ilias Ali of Nowgar Majhpara village in Bishwanath upazila in Sylhet; Shoyeb Ahmed Tuhin, 20, son of Dudu Miah of Adinagad Chelakhani village and Abdul Halim Sujon, son of late Mahmud Ali of Maijkapon village of Beanibazar upazila in Sylhet and Ajijur Rahman Rukul, 27, son of late Sadikur Rahman of Kaliar Gaon of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila.

Family Members, officer-in-charges of local police stations and local union parishad chairmen of these areas confirmed the identities of the missing victim of the boat capsize.

Earlier on Monday, identities of seven victims of the tragic incident were confirmed. They all were from Sylhet division.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) on Monday published a list of names of 27 Bangladeshi victims based on the information obtained from the Tunisian Red Crescent.

HOW DID THE BOAT CAPSIZE?

Survivors told the Red Crescent that the tragedy unfolded after some 75 people who had left Zuwara on the northwestern Libyan coast late Thursday on a large boat were transferred to a smaller one that sank off Tunisia, reports AFP from Tunis.

The boat sank 65 km off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital Tunis. Fishing boats rescued 16 people and brought them to shore in Zarzis, according to the Red Crescent.

It said the bodies of migrants would take days to surface.

The IOM called it the deadliest migrant boat sinking since January.

According to survivors, the Italy-bound boat had on board only men, including 51 Bangladeshis, three Egyptians, several Moroccans, Chadians and other Africans.

Fourteen Bangladeshis, including a minor, were among the survivors, said the Red Crescent.

The IOM says as many as 443 migrants either died or went missing in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe in boats as of May 8 this year. The figures were 2,299 in 2018 and 3,139 in 2017.

The UN agency says 21,645 migrants, including 17,000 via sea and the rest via land, arrived in Europe as of May 8 this year. The figures were 390,432 in 2016, 186,768 in 2017 and 144,166 in 2018.

According to European Union, there are some 100,000 undocumented Bangladeshis in Europe.