TUNIS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 45 irregular migrants of African nationalities were rescued from a sinking boat off the island of Kerkennah in the province of Sfax in southeast Tunisia, Tunisian Interior Ministry said on Sunday evening.

The illegal boat came from the Libyan town of Zouara with 45 irregular migrants on board, including six women, two of whom were pregnant.

This is the second attempt of irregular migration intercepted by Tunisian maritime security forces during the last 24 hours.

Another illegal boat was intercepted off Nabeul coast on Saturday, carrying five migrants between age of 18 and 27.

According to data published by Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, the number of irregular migrants who crossed the Mediterranean towards Italian coasts exceeded 6,000 from Jan. to Nov. in 2018, against 569 in 2015.