From Libya to Lampedusa, two boats in the night: 81 migrants escorted to Imbriacola

The flow of migrants on the Libyan route does not stop. After a very brief truce that allowed the reception facility to be emptied, the island of Lampedusa is once again facing an emergency with two separate arrivals recorded in the middle of the night, totaling 81 people who landed on the Sicilian shores.

The discovery along the Ponente road

The first group, consisting of 41 migrants, was intercepted by the Carabinieri while walking along the Ponente road. The law enforcement officers stopped the group – made up of citizens of Afghan, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Somali, and Pakistani nationality – shortly after the landing that occurred at Cala Croce.

Despite the searches, the boat used for the crossing has not been found, likely left adrift or recovered by accomplices. The refugees told the military that they had set sail on Thursday evening from Abu Kammash, a coastal location in western Libya just a few kilometers from the Tunisian border.

The interception at sea

Almost simultaneously, the Coast Guard identified a second boat about 10 meters long a few miles from the coast. On board were another 40 people of various nationalities, including Bangladeshis, Iranians, Malaysians, Sudanese, and Somalis. According to the first testimonies collected on board, the journey reportedly began from the port of Zawiya, another crucial hub for human traffickers in Libyan territory.

Hotspot under pressure

All migrants have been escorted to the hotspot in contrada Imbriacola. The facility, which had only been officially declared empty on Thursday morning thanks to transfers to Porto Empedocle and other locations on the mainland, is once again faced with managing new arrivals in a cycle that seems endless.

Local authorities and humanitarian organizations remain on alert: the favorable weather conditions in the Sicilian Channel suggest new possible arrivals in the coming hours.