The reception center on the Italian island of Lampedusa had taken in nearly 900 migrants on Monday, more than double its capacity, after hundreds of people arrived by the central Mediterranean route due to good sea conditions.
On Sunday night alone, 110 migrants arrived on the shores of this small island, the southernmost Italian territory and only 100 km from the African coast, aboard five barges intercepted by the coast guard and NGO ships, according to media reports.
Another boat managed to reach the beach of Guitgia, southeast of the island, but the migrants were immediately intercepted by the police.
The arrivals have put a new strain on the island’s reception system, which is at more than double its capacity of 400 beds, and authorities are already beginning to transfer migrants to other parts of the country, especially the nearby and larger island of Sicily.
A ferry is expected to take 250 migrants to the Sicilian town of Porto Empedocle on Monday.
Also on Monday, Doctors Without Borders transported 191 people aboard its ship Geo Barents to Salerno in the Campania region, after carrying out five rescue missions.
Most will stay in Campania, while 66 will be transferred to the Lazio region.
And the vessel Mare Jonio of the organization Mediterranea Saving Humans rescued 65 migrants, including five unaccompanied minors of Syrian, Pakistani and, Bengali nationalities, which it brought to the Sicilian city of Pozzallo on Monday, the NGO reported.
So far this year, 39,566 migrants have reached Italian shores, compared with 112,494 in the same period of 2023, according to data updated Monday by the Italian Interior Ministry.
