Hundreds of migrants arrive in Lampedusa – two bodies recovered

Hundreds of boat migrants again reached the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on Wednesday. About 430 people had arrived on the island in ten boats since midnight, the Ansa news agency reported, citing the Coast Guard.

About 670 migrants arrived there on Tuesday with 20 boats. The number of migrants arriving in Lampedusa has recently risen sharply again.

During a Coast Guard operation in Italy’s search and rescue zone near Lampedusa, the bodies of two women were also recovered, Ansa further reported. The armed forces discovered the bodies after taking on board 62 people in distress.

Migrants are taken to a reception center on the small island. According to Ansa, the migrant camp, which can accommodate some 400 people, is completely overcrowded with more than 2,600 people.

Lampedusa is located between Sicily and North Africa, the island is located almost 190 kilometers away from the Tunisian coastal town of Sfax. The crossing to Italy is perilous – since Monday there are about four shipwrecks. According to official figures from the Ministry of the Interior in Rome, more than 36,600 migrants have reached Italy on boats since the beginning of the year – about 9,000 in the same period last year (aeg/sda/dpa).