Thousands of Migrants Reach Lampedusa Again: Urgent Situation and Tragic Newborn Death

2023-09-16 13:59:47

– Hundreds of migrants reach Lampedusa once more – newborn dies on boat

Mass arrivals on the Italian island continue. Following demands from Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission President Ursula van der Leyen is now traveling to Lampedusa.

Published today at 3:59 p.m

Two worlds: Men in swimming trunks look at the newly arrived boat migrants in the port of Lampedusa.

Photo: Keystone

Once once more, several hundred boat migrants reach the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa. More than 600 people on a total of 13 boats arrived on the small island by midday on Saturday, reported the Italian news agency Ansa. Early in the morning around 120 people reached the island on three boats – by midday there were around 500 on ten more boats. Pictures showed how people gathered in the port to be later taken to the initial reception center.

According to Italian media reports, a baby who was born during the crossing died on one of the boats. The mother went into labor on the boat. With the help of other fellow travelers, she gave birth to the baby. According to reports, the infant died shortly following birth. Around 40 migrants were on board the boat, which was rescued by a port authority patrol boat.

Since the beginning of the week, several thousand boat migrants have reached the small island between Sicily and North Africa. More than 5,000 people arrived on Tuesday alone – more than ever before on a single day. Because of its proximity to the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, Lampedusa has been one of the hotspots of migration to Europe for years. In view of the tense situation, the city council declared a state of emergency.

At times the initial reception center was extremely overcrowded with around 6,800 people. Many migrants have now been taken on ferries and police ships to Sicily or the mainland to relieve the so-called hotspot. According to Ansa, there were more than 2,200 people in the camp on Saturday followingnoon. That’s fewer than before. Nevertheless, the camp is still completely overcrowded.

Von der Leyen is coming

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni want to visit the Italian Mediterranean island together on Sunday. After around 8,500 refugees arrived on boats in Lampedusa within three days this week, Meloni called on the EU to act quickly on Friday evening.

The situation in Italy because of the influx of refugees is “unbearable,” said the ultra-right head of government. The island, located just 145 kilometers from the North African coast, has long been an important destination for migrants heading to Europe.

Italy’s head of government is insisting on EU intervention to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean – she even brought up a naval operation to stop the migrants from leaving.

Meloni and von der Leyen visited Tunisia together in June, from where most migrants set off for Italy. The EU is planning an agreement with the North African country: In return for financial aid worth millions, Tunisia will take stronger action once morest smugglers and illegal crossings in the future.

To date, the EU states have not managed to pass a comprehensive reform of the European asylum system. The member states at the EU’s external borders in particular complain regarding a lack of solidarity from other partners.

State of emergency in Lampedusa

SDA

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