At least three migrants died on Sunday after a boat was set on fire carrying 20 other people. Meanwhile, on the island of Lampedusa off the southern coast of Italy, citizens went out to protest against the landing of migrant boats.
Italian police have shown the deaths of at least 3 migrants after their boat blew up rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.The boat’s engine reportedly turned on and caused the explosion.Five other migrants were injured and taken to hospital, while two police officers were injured while trying to get the boat to safety.
The ship had 34 migrants on board, thirteen of whom had already reached shore before rescue operations began, and then 12 of them were taken to a migrant reception center in the port city of Crotone.
Survivors told the government that the ship was carrying migrants from Egypt, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan; of those rescued, 10 were minor.
At the same time, the recent increase in migrant arrivals in Italy has sparked protests on the island of Lampedusa, which supports the bruc of maximum landings. Mayor Toto Martello called for a “general strike” on Sunday after a rusty fishingman landed overnight, allowing 450 migrants to land on the island.
The arrival of sent migrants was greeted by protesters overnight, adding Angela Maraventano, local leader of the League’s far-right party.
Mayor Martello criticized the Italian government for “continuing to be in a terrifying silence” about the emergency in Lampedusa.Italian officials responded by sending 3 more COVID-19 quarantine ferries to the island, one of which is expected to arrive on Monday and two more on Monday.Ferries will space on migrants for their quarantine, easing tensions at Lampedusa’s crowded reception facilities.
On Saturday, the Italian coast guard drove 49 migrants ashore in Lampedusa who had been rescued from the crowded charity rescue boat Louise Michel, funded by street artist Banksy.Banksy had decorated the boat, its characteristic silhouettes and a pink heart-shaped lifeguard.
These occasions are the latest in Italy’s ongoing struggle to manage the influx of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea in search of a life.
I’ve been writing about my country often since I moved here five years after graduating.
I am a journalist founded in Venice and Scotland. I have been writing about my country often since I moved here five years ago after graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in art history.