- Title: ITALY: Migrant holding centre facing emergency says chief
- Date: 8th March 2011
- Summary: LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (MARCH 7, 2011) (REUTERS) FERRY AT DOCK BOAT CARRYING TUNISIAN MIGRANTS AT SEA VARIOUS OF MIGRANT BOAT PASSING FERRY VARIOUS OF GUARDIA DI FINANZA AND COASTGUARD ESCORTING MIGRANT BOAT MIGRANTS ON BOAT VARIOUS OF COASTGUARD ESCORTING MIGRANT BOAT TO HARBOUR VARIOUS OF MIGRANT BOAT DOCKING MIGRANTS PREPARING TO DOCK BOATS IN HARBOUR MIGRANTS SEEN
- Embargoed: 23rd March 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy, Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Social Services / Welfare
- Reuters ID: LVACOKBGZ81YVE8JJGZM7ZNMOPA7
- Story Text: A steady flow of boats carrying Tunisian migrants continued arriving on Lampedusa on Monday (March 7).
More than 1,000 illegal immigrants escaping political turmoil in North Africa arrived on this southern Italian island in the Mediterranean during the night.
The return of good weather and calm seas have unleashed new waves of immigrants who are making the relatively short journey between the Tunisian coastline and the island some 120 kilometres away.
Some of the boats have made it to the shores of this tiny island on their own, others were intercepted by the coastguard and their passengers taken off.
So far, none of the immigrants were believed to have left from Libya itself but Italian officials fear an exodus from its former colony if the situation worsens.
From Lampedusa, immigrants are sent by plane and ferry to holding centres on the mainland but the backlog was beginning to grow.
Cono Galipo, head of the island's holding centre, which has an official capacity of 800, said the facility had been able to respond well to the sudden wave of migrants.
"So far we have contained the impact well despite the very high number of migrants. We have had more than a thousand people arriving and we have welcomed them at the centre. Fortunately we had only 314 migrants at the centre and therefore the numbers have stayed beneath what we consider a critical level," he said.
However, Galipo acknowledged that the situation was difficult.
"We are certainly facing an emergency, however, up until now it hasn't reached the emergency level 'red' and therefore we seek to deal with the situation in an organised and calm manner. We have managed to respond at the best of our abilities and believe will keep doing so in the future," he said.
Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said last week an aid mission to Tunisia to provide food and medical help was aimed at handling the refugee situation in North Africa, but it was already preparing for a potential surge of immigrants to Italy.
More than 7,000 migrants from Tunisia have arrived in Italy since the overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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