TUNIS, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian security units have arrested six illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa for manufacturing steel boats used in illegal immigration at a house in the northern province of Ariana, private radio station Mosaique FM reported on Monday.
According to the report, authorities received information about a boat hidden in a house in the Raoued region, intended for illegal crossings to Italy.
Upon conducting a search, officers from the Ariana North judicial police brigade discovered that the house had been converted into a workshop for building steel boats.
A modified car engine, designed to be installed on one of the boats, along with a quantity of fuel, was also seized during the operation.
Investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals involved in the illegal operation. Tunisia, situated in the central Mediterranean, is a common launch point for migrants attempting to reach Italy, with the Italian island of Lampedusa only about 80 km from Tunisia's coast. ■