Algerians Seek Word on Europe-Bound Migrants

Relatives of dozens of missing Algerian illegal migrants who have set sail for Europe this year have appealed to authorities to help trace them.

Kamel Belabed, whose 25-year-old son has not been heard from since he set off for Europe in April, told Monday's El Watan newspaper that many of the young men who set off from Annaba, near the Tunisian border, could be dead or in detention.

"As for my son, I did not know anything about his plan," he said. "Entire waves of youth disappear and give no further sign of life."

"No one can give us the number of our fellow citizens buried in Tunisia, Libya, Sardinia or Malta ... The authorities should help us, logistically and judicially.

"We know the Tunisians, Libyans and Italians are sovereign on their soil ... if there are people in prison, we need to be told, and if they are dead, they should tell us."

Coastguards on Monday saved 25 would-be migrants from perishing in the waters off Annaba, the official APS news agency reported. The news agency said coastguards had saved 112 migrants in the same area between October 2006 and June 2007.

Coastguards say that during 2006 they found a total of 42 bodies along Algeria's coastline, most or all apparently illegal migrants.

It is often difficult to identify illegal migrants because they destroy their identity papers after departure.

The European Union has urged North African countries to do more to stop the flow of illegal migrants trying to reach Europe via Italy and Spain, the entry points that most aim for.

Algeria is also a transit point for migrants from elsewhere. Over the past six years, it has arrested 35,000 illegal migrants from 55 African and Arab countries, and deported 32,000 of them, newspapers say.

The Algerian government said recently it was tightening measures to cope with the growing number of illegal migrants.