Over 1,000 migrants arrive in Italy and the reception center becomes overwhelmed
Migrants wait at a reception center of the so-called migrant "Hotspot" operational processing facility on the southern Italian Pelagie Island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily -
Over 1,000 migrants arrive in Italy amid an election campaign
Migrants were seen arriving in Sicily, Italy as NGOs and authorities report the number of people to land on the country's shores to be greater than one thousand within a few hours, while hundreds of others, rescued by humanitarian vessels, wait for a port to receive them.
The influx is not unusual for the summer months. Between January 1 and July 22, 34,000 people arrived in Italy by sea compared with 25,500 during the same period in 2021 and 10,900 in 2020 according to Italy's interior ministry.
The latest inflow of migrants comes at a politically sensitive time in Italy.
This year’s influx comes as Italy gears up for early elections which could bring the hard right to power.
According to the Italian media, the island's reception center has been overwhelmed.
With a capacity of 250-300 people, it currently hosts 1,200, according to the local media.
Migrant centers in Lampedusa overcrowded
A migrant center on the Italian island of Lampedusa has become further overcrowded as the number of migrants arriving from North Africa has increased.
The center was built for around 350 people but is now hosting around 1,400 migrants.
Most migrants come from Tunisia and Libya.
On Monday, more than 700 migrants arrived on the island.
According to the Italian Ministry of Interior, 57,000 people have reached Italy by crossing the central Mediterranean Sea so far in 2022.
Over the same period, 1,283 people either died or went missing in the attempt to cross the sea, according to the International Organization for Migration.
On Wednesday, an NGO-operated ship sailing in the Mediterranean reported having rescued 466 migrants over a period of two days at the end of August.