Thousands flee across the Mediterranean Sea «kleinezeitung.at

More than 2,000 refugees arrived in Lampedusa within 24 hours. Hundreds of migrants were forced to sleep at the port.

3:24 PM, May 10, 2021

The Mediterranean island of Lampedusa continues to face strong migration. 635 people landed on four boats on the island Monday night. This increased the number of immigrants. Who arrived in Lampedusa within 24 hours on 20 boats, to 2128, It was reported by the Italian media.

The migrants are housed in a completely overcrowded refugee camp on the island. 600 immigrants had to stay overnight in the island’s port. 312 people boarded the quarantine ship on Monday. Another 200 people will leave the island on a ferry to Sicily.

Liga protests

Right-wing parties, including the ruling association of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, have warned of “thousands of illegal immigrants”. Salvini protested, “Spain, Greece and Malta rightly defend their borders without waiting for Europe. We cannot receive tourists on an island that ends up with thousands of migrants.” E.He called a meeting with Prime Minister Mario Draghi to discuss immigration issues.

Sicily’s regional president, Nilo Musumisi, spoke of one of them “The human drama of migrants in the Mediterranean”. He was referring to recent UN data that more than 500 migrants have died in the central Mediterranean this year. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least five people were killed on Sunday when a boat carrying 45 migrants capsized near the Libyan coast. Hunters managed to save 40 people. On Sunday alone, the Libyan coast guard found 700 migrants in the Mediterranean and sent them back to Libya.

Lampedusa is located between North Africa and Sicily. According to statistics of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, more than 12,000 immigrants have come to Italy since the beginning of the year, most of them from Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire and Bangladesh. A year ago there were more than 4,100 at the same time. 1,373 unaccompanied minors arrived in Italy. In the past few weeks, marine rescue workers have also noted that a large number of migrants are again making the dangerous journey to Europe in inflatable boats and small wooden ships, often from Libya.