Tunisian naval forces recovered two bodies and picked up 178 migrants, including Bangladeshis, from the Mediterranean on Sunday after the boats transporting them broke down on the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe, a Tunisian Defense Ministry spokesman said, reports AP.

The spokesman, Mohamed Zekri, said the migrants’ boats had been at risk of sinking. An oil rig in the area sounded the alarm. The migrants hailed from Bangladesh, Eritrea, Egypt, Mali and Ivory Coast. Almost all were Bangladeshi nationals.

It was the second large-scale rescue in the area in 48 hours. The Tunisian navy picked up 267 migrants on Friday who were also attempting the crossing from Libya, bound for Italy.

Departures of migrants from Libya have risen sharply over the past two years, as has the number of stranded migrants arriving in Tunisia. The head of the Tunisian Red Crescent, Mongi Slim, warned last week that accommodation hostels for migrants in southern Tunisia were full.

At least 11,000 migrants set off across the Mediterranean from Libya between January and April 2021, 73% more than in the same period last year. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says the increase is mainly due to the worsening situation for foreigners in Libya.

According to the UN there were at least 760 deaths in the Mediterranean between January 1 and May 31, 2021.