TUNIS- Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has fired Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem, according to a government statement on Wednesday that gave no reason for the decision.

Chahed had earlier said that at the weekend security guards had failed to stop a boat packed with 180 migrants that sank off the Tunisian coast killing at least 68 people.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara Writing by Ulf Laessing Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) ((Ulf.Laessing@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: follow me on twitter @ulflaessing))