More than 2,000 migrants have reached Lampedusa by boat within the past 24 hours, the ANSA news agency, sparking concerns in Rome.
The number of migrants boarding crowded vessels for the treacherous journey to the small island between North Africa and Sicily has sharply risen in recent days.
During the previous 24 hours, 2,128 people landed on the Italian island, including 635 overnight. Patrol boats picked up several hundred people travelling in small boats and brought them ashore, while others managed to reach the coast. In recent weeks, private sea rescuers have reported seeing greater numbers of migrants setting off in rubber dinghies and small wooden boats towards Europe, often from Libya, while dozens have drowned when vessels capsize.
According to a count by the Ministry of the Interior published, more than 10,700 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year. There were 4,100 arrivals during the same period last year. - dpa
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