« Thousands of migrants were transferred to Porto Empedocle in Sicily on Monday as the surge in arrivals at Lampedusa were reported to have overwhelmed the reception centre on the Italian island.
Reports from local sources indicated that more than 1,000 individuals found themselves at the temporary facility, awaiting onward transfer to reception centres in different parts of Italy. Delays occurred due to a shortage of available transportation services.
Tensions are high on the Italian island of Lampedusa after authorities declared a state of emergency due to a sudden influx of thousands of migrants.
According to the Italian Red Cross, thousands of asylum seekers were transferred from Lampedusa to migrant processing centres in Sicily starting on Friday.
Lampedusa, lying geographically closer to Africa than mainland Italy, is often targeted by people smugglers. The island’s migrant detention centre has faced repeated challenges with an overflow of new arrivals, with the situation becoming particularly acute during the summer months.
This season has seen multiple shipwrecks off the coast of Italy. The Italian Interior Ministry has reported that over 120,000 undocumented individuals have arrived this year by sea, including 11,000 unaccompanied minors. »
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