There were 4,121 migrants and
refugees in the Lampedusa hotspot mid-morning on Saturday
following the arrival on the island of a record 1,918 people in
65 landings on Friday and a further 870 people in 22 landings
since midnight.
The authorities were working to transfer new arrivals off the
island, with a group of 740 people due to leave by ferry for
Porto Empedocle on mainland Sicily during the morning.
From there they will be sent to reception facilities in other
parts of the country including Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Umbria
and Calabria.
However, ferry transfers are unable to keep pace with the large
number of people arriving, and the facilities at Porto Empedocle
are also struggling, including due to a lack of busses for
onward journeys.
Consequently, the prefecture and police headquarters in
Agrigento are reportedly mobilising to make military ships and
aircraft available to Lampedusa to support the transfers.
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