5,000 migrants arrive on Italian island in a day

Representational images. Pic/iStock

The Italian Red Cross sounded the alarm Wednesday about humanitarian conditions on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa after more than 5,000 people in more than 100 different migrant boats arrived in one day with smugglers in north Africa taking advantage of calm seas to set off.

At least one baby died near shore as a boat capsized. Meanwhile, dozens of new arrivals crouched on the rocky jetties of Lampedusa's port, while others sheltered in the shade of a nearby camping ground as the island's lone migrant welcome center, which has a capacity of around 400, overflowed with more than 6,000 people.

The Red Cross urged the Italian government to quickly transfer the migrants to the mainland, saying their personnel had managed to keep the situation under control but that the disembarkation from more than 100 boats was pushing the limit. Medical personnel were focusing attention on the most fragile.

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