So many people have arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in one day that there is no room left in the port, and boats full of people are lining the sea, local governor Filippo Romano said of the situation on the island on Tuesday.
Sixty-eight boats lined up on Lampedusa on Tuesday afternoon. Some were waiting in the island’s small port with people on board, while others reached shore but were sitting on the dock or lying on the ground waiting for authorities to take them away. Nearly 2,500 people arrived in Lampedusa in less than twenty-four hours.
Romano, the governor of Agrigento in Sicily, spoke of another record number, recalling that the last time the number of arrivals reached this high was two weeks ago. Then 65 ships docked in one day. He pointed out that more people may now arrive, and the number of boats may reach a hundred by the evening.
“The situation is really tragic. We are trying to manage the situation and it will be easier when we open the new registration center in Porto Empedocle, Sicily. In the meantime, we will transfer people from Lampedusa. However, the problem of international migration will not be solved this way either.”
Romano stated.
Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino described the situation as untenable. He requested urgent intervention from the government and called on the Ministry of Defense to take action.
As the port is full, boats are trying to land in other parts of the island. Migrants climb over rocks, where they can move no further. According to arrivals’ reports, at least one boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, with perhaps forty people on board.
