Towards the end of last week, hundreds of migrants landed in southern Italy, in both the Calabria region and on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. More followed this weekend. Many minors were among those arriving say the Italian authorities.
The Calabrian port of Roccella Jonica welcomed 47 migrants in the early hours of October 16 while, during the previous night, a total of 368 people reached the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on five separate boats.
Meanwhile, on October 15, 32 migrants reached Reggio Calabria. All migrant landings included a considerable number of unaccompanied minors, stated authorities in Italy.
18th landing reported in Roccella over last six months
At the end of a rescue mission by coast guards which began the previous night, 47 male migrants from Egypt, Bangladesh and Pakistan reached Roccella Jonica. They included 10 unaccompanied minors.
It was the 18th landing reported in Roccella in the past six months. The migrants, who said they had departed three days previously from Libya, traveled on a small boat which was tracked down in the late evening of October 15 in the Ionian Sea, over 130 miles off the coast of Calabria.
After they were transferred to a coast guard cutter for security reasons, the 47 were taken to the port of Roccella Jonica.
After security controls and medical checkups, the migrants were assisted by Red Cross volunteers and taken to a first reception center inside the port.
32 migrants in Reggio Calabria, over 350 in Lampedusa
Meanwhile, during the evening of October 15, the NGO-run vessel Louise Michel reached the port of Reggio Calabria with 32 migrants on board, including two women, a minor and 12 unaccompanied minors.
The migrants said they were from Sudan, Eritrea, The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia.
During the night between October 15 and 16, authorities on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa registered the arrival of 368 migrants on five separate boats.
These people were taken to the local hotspot, bringing the number of guests to some 900 people.
Four rescue operations were conducted overnight by cutters operated by coast guards, the EU border agency Frontex and finance and border police (Guardia di Finanza).
In addition, finance police officers tracked down along the local Ponente road some 77 migrants from Egypt, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who had arrived without assistance and already landed.
Many minors were on the rescued migrant boats, which had all departed from Libya.