Hundreds of refugees fleeing the conflict in Libya and dozens of migrants from Tunisia arrived on Italian shores yesterday, after a relative lull in the number of arrivals from North Africa. Two boats – one carrying 247 people and the other 275 including women and children – landed on the island of Lampedusa. A small boat carrying around a dozen migrants believed to be Tunisians also landed on the outcrop.
A boat carrying an estimated 250 refugees escaping from Libya has also been spotted and was escorted towards Lampedusa harbour. Fifty-five Tunisians also came by boat yesterday to the tiny nearby island of Pantelleria.