At least 11 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, while 21 others were rescued by the coast guard, the army spokesman said on Friday.
He added the coast guard had recovered five bodies, while the search was still under way for six more drowned.
The boat had set off from Tunisia on Wednesday and went down overnight near the islands of Kerkennah, National Guard spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli told AFP.
"According to witnesses, there were 32 migrants on board, all of them Tunisians," he said, adding: "We rescued 21 and quickly recovered a first body."
The coast guard later found three other bodies, including that of a girl aged about 10, Tunisian media reported.
"Search operations to find the other missing persons are continuing," the spokesman added.
The UN High Commission for Refugees previously said more than 2,500 people died or went missing in 2021 while attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean and northwestern Africa route.
More than 115,000 people arrived by sea in Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Malta last year, according to the UNHCR.
He stated that the coastguard had retrieved five dead and that the search for six more drowned people was still ongoing.