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INPRIMATU
Another fishing vessel reaches the Italian coast full of immigrants and provokes xenophobic protests.
  • The boat on which several hundred migrants travelled was rescued early Sunday. The man was at risk of sinking because of the strong wind that hit him. He was transferred to the Italian island of Lampedusa. There were about 450 people on site, according to the Police's first estimates.
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Migratzaileak Lampedusan. Argazkia: Wikimedia Commons

The boat on which the migrants travelled was about four miles from the island of Lampedusa, but given the serious risk of flying because of the storms, the coastguards intercepted it and drove it to the port.

Naiz has reported that the arrival of the 450 migrants to the island has been spread over the past 24 hours among the more than 500 migrants arriving on 30 small boats. The state of emergency has originated in Lampedusa, since in the reception centre, for some 200 people, there are now about a thousand people gathered.

The new landing triggered the reaction of an ultra-right group, led by former League Senator Angela Maraventano, who retired yesterday. Xenophobic protesters tried to prevent emergency vehicles from passing to the pier, where they were intercepted by the police.

The mayor of Lampedusa, Totó Martello, sent a letter to the president of Tunisia, Kasis Saied, to inform him of the situation. He threatened to put the boat in the direction of Tunisia, that is, that migrants could make the journey in the opposite direction. "We are on our knees with these newcomers to the reception center. The situation is untenable, or the government makes immediate decisions, or this strikes the entire island. The Administration will declare the strike directly and close it all. The government's attitude cannot be tolerated anymore," said the first edile of the capital of Alavesa.

Meanwhile, the assistance vessel Sea Watch 4, with the help of the NGO of the same name and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Loise Michel, took over 150 rescued migrants and now awaits a port to accommodate over 350 people. "Over 350 survivors, including pregnant women and children, await Sea Watch 4. Medical examinations are being carried out on new vessels. The clinic is full. Médecins Sans Frontières serves migrants by gas burns, dehydration, hypothermia and trauma," explained the crew through their official Twitter account.

Until this Friday, there are 17,985 migrants who have landed in Italy, 7,067 in July and 3,968 so far this year.