Lampedusa, a small island in the Mediterranean, has been swarmed by asylum seekers, with the number of those arriving outnumbering its entire population. Lampedusa’s population stands at approximately 6,000.
"In the past 48 hours, around 7,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa, which has always welcomed them with open arms," Mayor Filippo Mannino told Italy's RTL 102.5 radio. "Europe and the Italian state must step in immediately with a rapid support operation and swift transfer of people."
A right-wing government, led by Giorgia Meloni, promised to crack down on immigration in Lampedusa, when they came to power last October.
Officials are organising transfers to Sicily, where there are bigger processing facilities.
Naby Bangoura, from Guinea, a migrant who arrived by boat from Tunisia: "Italy is a good place, we have been well received and given things to eat."
He said he travelled two days by a boat carrying around 35 people, to get to the tiny Italian island.
Over 120,000 migrants have arrived in Italy in 2023 so far.
https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/italy-news-lampedusa-sicily-migrants