ITALY: Migrants document sea crossing to Europe on cellphones

Record ID: 348239

  • Title: ITALY: Migrants document sea crossing to Europe on cellphones
  • Date: 6th March 2011
  • Summary: LAMPEDUSA, SICILY, ITALY (MARCH 5, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) TUNISIAN MIGRANT, SAYING "I wasn't scared. It was truly magnificent!" MIGRANT SHOWING VIDEO OF SEA CROSSING ON CELLPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (French) TWO MALE MIGRANTS, SAYING "The journey on the open sea is dangerous but..." OTHER MIGRANT SAYING: "...but we are very brave... we are very brave." LAMPEDUS
  • Embargoed: 21st March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAD4BXPT34MW2Y39JHV34SAPULE
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of migrants try to make the journey from the northern coasts of Tunisia and Libya to islands off Italy every year.
    Over the years, the island of Lampedusa, which lies approximately 120 kilometres (75 miles) away from the Tunisian coastline, has become a gateway for illegal immigrants and refugees.
    While the distance from the northern African shores is not great, the journey poses serious risks for the migrants crowded on boats and fishing vessels.
    The bare wooden crosses marked with nothing but numbers in a section of Lampedusa's cemetery tell a cautionary tale of the migrants failing to reach their destination and fulfil the dream of making a name for themselves in Europe.
    A shipwreck of Tunisian migrants off the coast of south-western Sicily on Saturday (March 5) highlights the dangers.
    Two migrants were still said to be missing on Saturday morning.
    Nearly 7,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the downfall of the Tunisian government on January 6. Italian authorities are concerned that, with continuing disorder in the Maghreb region, more refugees could arrive on their shores.
    After a six-day break in new arrivals due to rough sea conditions, Italian authorities are concerned a new influx of migrants may have resumed with over 500 Tunisians disembarking on Lampedusa earlier in the week.
    The migrants are currently held in an overcrowded holding centre, with groups being moved to other centres on Sicily or mainland Italy on a daily basis in an effort to relieve the strain on resources.
    At the centre, the groups of mainly young men share their experiences, which many have filmed with their cellphones.
    "I wasn't scared. It was truly magnificent!" one migrant said.
    "But we are very brave," he added as his companion acknowledged the danger of crossing the open sea.
    The tech-savvy youngsters are carefully documenting the many steps of their journeys in search of a better life.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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