An overcrowded migrant camp on the Italian island of Lampedusa is evacuated. The government in Rome has sent a ship to take 600 migrants elsewhere.
Conditions in the shelter are appalling. It accommodated up to 1800 people, while it is equipped for 350 people. More migrants will be taken to refugee camps in southern Italy on Sunday. Mayor Filippo Mannino said, according to the ANSA news agency, that the shelter must be completely cleared by Monday.
Former mayor of Lampedusa Giusi Nicolini shared images of the camp showing people lying on old foam mattresses, some in the open air. The building is full of garbage. There are also pregnant women and children. “The photos could come from Libya. But no, this is Italy,” he wrote. The International Organization for Migration spoke on Twitter of ‘shame on Lampedusa’.
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The Interior Ministry has registered more than 30,000 people who have reached Italy by boat this year. Many risk the risky crossing from North Africa to flee war and poverty. There are often casualties, because many make the journey in rickety boats.
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