More than 1,300 immigrants arrive on Italian shores

Some 1,000 migrants have arrived in the last 48 hours on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the closest to the North African coast, while the disembarkation in Sicily of another 306 people rescued in the Mediterranean continues, according to Italian officials.

Mediterranean Hope, the refugee and migrant program of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, indicated that about 1500 people in the reception center of Lampedusawhich has a capacity of only 350.

“We ask for a decent reception, fast transfers and legal access routes,” said Mediterranean Hope.

The spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Italy, Flavio di Giacomo, explained on the social network. twitterthat although “landings remain limited, more than 12,000 people arrived in Lampedusa.”

Date the whole hand, gli sbarchi restano limitati. Lampedusa is only available for 12000 people, 40% of the total
with @chiaraUNHCR Y @anna_riatti abbiamo verified the situation of the south post, focusing in particular on the correct and timely identification of the vulnerability pic.twitter.com/1KmLgc2awd

— Flavio Di Giacomo (@fladig) July 6, 2022

According to Di Giacomo, “the situation on the ground was verified with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), focusing in particular on the correct and timely identification of vulnerabilities.”

On the other hand, the disembarkation in the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, of the 306 migrants rescued by the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking -of the non-governmental organization (NGO) SOS Méditerranée-, which docked this Wednesday, continues this Thursday. after twelve days of waiting since its first operation in this new mission in the central Mediterranean.

“(The migrants) must be disembarked now, without delay,” said the NGO on its social networks, after the eighth rescue in the last ten days.

According to the latest data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior, dated July 6, 29,852 immigrants arrived this year on Italian shoreswhile in the same period last year there were 21,840.