(Arab News) Some 70,000 migrants in Libya are waiting to take the precarious sea crossing to Europe, Italy’s intelligence service has claimed, prompting discussions of a naval blockade.
The claim follows some 2,150 migrants reaching the small Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday and Monday.
Around 800 of those who had risked their lives to cross the sea traveled in two large fishing boats.
“Our migrant center has space for 200, so they were sleeping outside the center’s gates last night,” said Salvatore Martello, the island’s mayor.
Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that the Italian intelligence service assessed that 50,000-70,000 migrants are now ready to take the same route.
