A group of migrants, most of them minors, who landed in Lampedusa in recent days, sing and dance in the island’s main street during the festival in honour of the Madonna of Porto Salvo.
Islanders and tourists stopped to admire the dance of young North Africans who shared what is a moment of celebration by integrating with the population.
The festival took place against the backdrop of a surge in migrant arrivals on the Italian island. On Thursday, authorities declared a state of emergency after more than 6,000 migrants arrived on its shores within 24 hours.
A reception centre on the Italian island only has the capacity to handle 400. Authorities have transferred many of the new arrivals to Sicily.
A tragic accident occurred in Rome yesterday when a bus carrying 50 migrants crashed into a truck on the motorway just outside the Italian capital, Rome, on Friday.
The drivers of both vehicles were killed, and 25 of the migrants on board were injured, three of them seriously.
Search and rescue are still in progress at the coast of Lampedusa. The Coast Guard reported that a woman gave birth on board a CP300 of Guardiacostiera, but the newborn arrived dead. Endless tragedies are witnessed by those who “assist” and do their duty in great difficulty.
Diciotti ship Guardiacostiera rescues 700 people who will disembark tomorrow morning in Reggio C. The 700 would otherwise have landed on the island from where, in a few days, around 4000 people were transferred to Sicilian and Calabrian ports.
Furthermore, another 121 immigrants have landed in Lampedusa since midnight. Three boats left from Sfax, Tunisia and Zuwara, Libya were hooked by a Guardia di Finanza patrol boat.
