The southern Italian island of Lampedusa between Sicily and Tunisia is once again facing a strong migration movement. Since Saturday, according to authorities, 46 boats with a total of 1,000 people on board have reached the island within 24 hours. This is a record: never before have so many boats carrying migrants reached Lampedusa in one day.
The migrants who arrived, most of whom are from Tunisia, were accommodated in the island’s hot spot, which can accommodate up to 250 people. About 340 migrants arrived on the island of Pantelleria between Sicily and Tunisia.
The private aid organization SOS Mediterranee had previously rescued other boat migrants from distress in the Mediterranean. The crew of the Ocean Viking thus has 466 rescued people on board, the NGO announced on Twitter (see below).
Minors rescued from Sicily
The Spanish rescue vessel Open Arms Uno arrived on Saturday in the Sicilian port of Messina with 99 people, including some minors, who had been rescued off the Sicilian coast in recent days. Most of the migrants come from Egypt, Bangladesh, Sudan, Nigeria, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria and Chad, Italian authorities said.
92 migrants also arrived aboard a sailboat in the southern Italian region of Puglia on Saturday. More than 200 migrants have also landed in the Calabria region since Friday. People mainly leave the coasts of North Africa, for example from the civil war country Libya or from Tunisia, to reach the EU via the Mediterranean Sea. They are often rescued from distress at sea by private aid organizations during the perilous crossings across the Mediterranean.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
