Further arrivals on Lampedusa, baby died during the crossing

There were 14 women on board. On Friday, 527 people arrived on board 15 boats.

A baby born during the crossing on a migrant boat died shortly after being born. The baby’s mother, who went into labor during the crossing, gave birth with the help of some fellow travelers. The baby reportedly died immediately after birth. About 40 migrants were on board the boat, which was rescued by a port authority patrol boat.

There was a protest demonstration by residents in Lampedusa on Saturday. They demonstrated against alleged plans to set up a tent camp to house the migrants as the island’s hotspot is overcrowded. “It’s over, Lampedusa belongs to us and not to the EU,” some demonstrators chanted.

There are currently 2,796 people in the island’s hotspot. 400 migrants are expected to leave Lampedusa for Sicily on Saturday. The authorities want to relieve pressure on the island, which was confronted with heavy migration movements this week. 10,000 people reached Lampedusa this week, which is home to 6,300 people.

Help requested from EU

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is calling for support from the European Union to stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. If necessary, the navy must be deployed to prevent migrant boats from leaving, she said in a video message published on the Internet on Friday evening. She promised tough action against the increase in arrivals, especially in Lampedusa. She also asked European Council President Charles Michel to put the issue of immigration on the agenda of the EU summit in October.

The prime minister announced emergency measures that her cabinet will decide next Monday – including asking the army to build larger reception centers and extending the length of time people can be held.

Von der Leyen travels to Lampedusa

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Italy this Saturday. In Rome she will first meet Prime Minister Meloni, said a spokesman for von der Leyen.

Meloni and von der Leyen then wanted to visit Lampedusa together, the spokesman said. It was unclear exactly when the visit to the island was planned this weekend. On Friday, Meloni invited von der Leyen to Lampedusa to get an idea of ​​the “seriousness of the situation” in which Italy finds itself.

So far this year, almost 126,000 migrants have reached Italian shores, almost twice as many as at the same time in 2022. A state of emergency has been declared in Lampedusa in view of the massive arrival of migrants. The island is overwhelmed by migrants; around 7,000 people from North Africa arrived in boats on Tuesday and Wednesday alone, complained Mayor Filippo Mannino.

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