This Monday the Italian immigration authorities reported that since the weekend a group of 35 migrants have been stranded on the islet of Lampione, on the coast near Sicily. The Italian Coast Guard stressed that due to weather conditions, their rescue was not possible.
A Coast Guard vessel that was patrolling the area repeatedly tried to approach to rescue the immigrants who crossed the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Italian authorities among the immigrants is a pregnant woman.
Since Monday morning, the Coast Guard has been trying to approach the coast of the smallest of the Pelagias islands, totally uninhabited, but they have only been able to throw food and water at the group of immigrants while they try to take them to a safe place.
During the early hours of the morning, another 35 migrants rescued by the Coast Guard disembarked in the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, when they entered the Sicilian coast. So far this year, more than 24,000 immigrants have landed on the Italian coast, which represents a very significant increase since in 2022 the authorities reported 6,518 immigrants.
For her part, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, assured in February that her government has saved more immigrants who cross the Central Mediterranean to reach Italy than all the previous ones, but in turn stated that she is not willing for her country to “become the refugee camp of Europe”, given the increase in the migratory flow in the region.
With information from EFE
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