Rome, April 26, (dpa/GNA) – Since early Wednesday morning around 430 migrants in 10 boats reached the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, the ANSA news agency reported citing the coastguard.
Tuesday already saw some 670 migrants on 20 boats arrive as the number of migrants arriving on the island is currently rising again.
The coastguard found two women’s bodies while searching the rescue zone off Lampedusa early Wednesday morning after rescuing 62 people in distress, ANSA reported.
In the past days many migrants have reached the island and were taken to a reception camp which has a capacity for 400 people but is overcrowded with around 2600 people, according to ANSA.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi visited the island on Tuesday promising the quick transport of migrants to Sicily.
Lampedusa is located between Sicily and North Africa, around 190 kilometres from the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax. Fatal accidents occur during the dangerous sea crossings and since Monday there have been about four shipwrecks.
Since the beginning of the year more than 36,600 migrants have reached Italy by boat, according to official figures from the Ministry of the Interior in Rome. Last year the figure was around 9,000 for the same time period.
GNA