TUNIS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's maritime guards rescued 2,688 undocumented immigrants during the past 24 hours from sinking boats and retrieved 13 bodies after they foiled 85 illegal immigration attempts, the Tunisian National Guard said in a statement on Monday.

The immigration attempts were thwarted off the southeastern coast of Sfax province, according to the statement.

"A total of 2,640 of the illegal immigrants were from sub-Saharan African countries and the rest were Tunisian nationals," it said, adding that 15 other wanted persons and 23 steel boats were seized in the operations.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the main points of access to Europe used by undocumented immigrants.

Despite the stringent measures implemented by Tunisian authorities, the number of undocumented immigrants attempting to reach Italy from the Tunisian coast continues to rise. Enditem

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