They cling to piers and rocks, some wade ashore. The heavily laden, open boats have this week formed a queue at the port of Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island.
Now, authorities and voluntary organizations are trying to find a place for thousands of migrants, people who have often fled war, persecution and poverty and are traveling with small children. Thousands are brought to Sicily and the mainland by civilian and military ships, in some cases by plane.
– A challenging situation, states Francesca Basile, head of migration at the Italian Red Cross and on the spot on the island, for TT on the phone.
During a rescue operation off the coast of the island, a dead, newborn baby was found on one of the boats. According to the BBC, the mother is believed to have given birth to the child during the journey from North Africa.
Over 100 boats in one day
Wednesday was a record. Then over 100 boats and 6,800 people came to the small Mediterranean island, which is more than the number of permanent residents there.
Basile and her colleagues have not experienced such an onslaught before. The Red Cross, which this summer took over the operation of the island’s reception center and expanded the capacity from 400 migrants to upwards of 3,000, has basically been working around the clock distributing food, water and camping beds.
– Many are eager to start their new lives in Europe. The big challenge is to explain that they cannot stay on the island, says Francesca Basile.
The government is considering a blockade
On Saturday, the island’s residents demonstrated against the recent large influx of migrants.
Now the Italian government is considering a new naval blockade against North Africa, and above all Tunisia, from where many boats come despite agreements with the EU.
– Europe and the Italian government must understand that we residents of Lampedusa are tired, says one resident.