Surge in Migrant Arrivals: Over 700 Reach Lampedusa, Overcrowding in Reception Center

Overcrowded Reception Center on Lampedusa as 700 Migrants Arrive

Around 700 migrants have reached the island of Lampedusa, coming from Tunisia and Libya during the night. According to authorities, the number of refugees has more than doubled recently.

Once again, hundreds of migrants have reached the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in boats. According to the Italian news agency Ansa, nearly 700 people arrived on the island, with a total of 14 landings recorded.

The boats either arrived at the port without assistance or the people had to be rescued off the coast of the island. The day before, more than 1,200 people had already arrived, bringing the total to almost 2,000 migrants reaching Lampedusa since Wednesday.

Overcrowded Reception Center on Lampedusa

Ansa further reported that ten of the 14 boats from the previous night set off from the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax. Another boat departed from Kerkenna, also in Tunisia, and three others started their journey from Libya.

The people were taken to a reception center on the island. According to Ansa, the migrant camp, which has a capacity for around 400 people, is now overcrowded with over 2,000 individuals.

Already 61,200 Boat Migrants Registered

Lampedusa is located between Sicily and North Africa, approximately 190 kilometers from Sfax. Many people repeatedly attempt to reach Lampedusa, Malta, Sicily, or mainland Italy by boat from Tunisia and Libya through the central Mediterranean.

The Ministry of Interior in Rome has counted more than 61,200 people who have reached Italy by boat this year, compared to around 27,300 in the same period last year. These attempts to reach Europe through the Mediterranean often result in devastating boat accidents. Just two weeks ago, hundreds of migrants drowned off the coast of Greece while attempting to cross from Libya to Italy.