Bad weather doesn’t stop migrant arrivals in Lampedusa, boats possibly towed by fishing vessels.
Due to the strong Mistral wind, the Coast Guard and the Finance Guard’s patrol boats and helicopters were unable to patrol the waters of the Sar Sea for over 24 hours. Last night in Lampedusa, there were two landings before the authorities intercepted an 8-meter boat with 44 people claiming to be from Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea, and Malaysia. Another boat carrying 55 individuals from Tunisia, Palestine, and Morocco was also intercepted. Both groups claimed to have departed from Sfax, but it seems unlikely they made the journey alone in rough seas. The police will question the new arrivals to investigate further. There are suspicions that the boats may have been towed by Tunisian fishing vessels across the Italian territorial waters. Later, a fishing boat with 270 migrants, including a woman and a minor, was intercepted. The passengers claimed the boat left Zuara in Libya and each paid 3,500 Libyan dinars for the voyage. The migrants are believed to be from Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, and Syria. Finally, 22 migrants, mostly Tunisians, were arrested between Lampedusa and Porto Empedocle. Despite being subject to expulsion or rejection orders, they reentered Italy through the maritime border of Lampedusa. Sixteen have been placed under house arrest in Lampedusa, while the remaining six are being held in Porto Empedocle.
Il maltempo non ferma gli arrivi di migranti a Lampedusa, le barche forse trainate da pescherecci
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