(Arab News) The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling to cope after more than 600 migrants landed on its shores in less than 24 hours.
Eight boats carrying 634 people, including a five-month-old baby, from North Africa have arrived at the Mediterranean island, south of Sicily, since early Tuesday, overwhelming migrant facilities and leaving services on the brink of collapse.
More than 380 migrants of various nationalities were crowded onto one fishing boat alone.
“We intercepted a boat at dawn with 85 people on board. A small boat carrying 13 Tunisians landed later, followed by another with 12 men from Morocco and Sudan,” Admiral Roberto Isidori, commander of the Sicilian Coast Guard, told Arab News.
