Island flooded by illegals
2004-08-16 22:13
Rome - Two boatloads of illegal immigrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Monday, bringing the total for the day to 300, said Italian authorities.
The first boat arrived on the Mediterranean island on Monday morning with 160 people on board from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
The second vessel with about 140 immigrants appeared in the afternoon and was escorted to shore by the Italian coast guard after being spotted at sea by a military plane.
The second group of passengers were from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Authorities said they were in poor condition after a grueling journey in the hot sun.
Lampedusa lies in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Tunisia.
Monday's arrivals are being housed at a facility on the island that is already well over its capacity of 190 people.
Italy has had a constant stream of illegal immigrants arrive on its shores this summer, including more than 1 000 in the last two weeks alone.
- AFP