The bodies of at least 29 people, many of them sub-Saharan Africans, were recovered from the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend off the coast of Tunisia, while eleven people were rescued, according to the Tunisian National Guard.

Officials say they do not know for sure how many vessels sank or how many people may have been aboard.

The immigrants were trying to reach Italy, the initial landing point for many immigrants on their journey to Europe, where the often-desperate travelers believe they will find a better life.