Over 2,000 migrants reach Lampedusa’s shores in a 24-hour period

Around 78 migrants were rescued from a 12-metre rubber dinghy by the research vessel Life Support ship in the Maltese Search and Rescue zone

Most of the migrants set sail from the Tunisian city of Sfax
Most of the migrants set sail from the Tunisian city of Sfax

Over 2,000 migrants have arrived on the island of Lampedusa in just over 24 hours.

After 43 boats that were carrying around 1,800 migrants arrived at Lampedusa’s shores on Friday, around 260 people were saved by NGO vessel Louise Michel and the patrol boats of the Guardia di Finanza on Saturday morning.

44 of the 49 small boats rescued, stranded, or used in the last 36 hours set sail from the Tunisian city of Sfax. Only one group, consisting of 41 people, reported having embarked at Zawia in Libya.

The distance between Lampedusa and Tunisia is around 180 nautical miles only.

Around 78 migrants were rescued from a 12-metre rubber dinghy by the Emergency's Life Support ship in the Maltese Search and Rescue zone.

Three of the survivors were women - one of whom is two months pregnant. There were also two accompanied girls, aged 8 and 6, and 28 unaccompanied minors.

The people rescued come from Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, and Somalia.

"The rescued people traveled for more than 20 hours without food and water,” said a nurse on board the Life Support research vessel.

"The vessel was in international waters in the Maltese search and rescue area. Malta, despite having been informed immediately, did not coordinate the rescue activities or offer a safe port of disembarkation," said Emanuele Nannini from the NGO Emergency.