Over 1,000 migrants arrive in Italy amid election campaign
Over 1,000 migrants arrive Italy as reception centre becomes overwhelmed
Migrants wait at a reception centre of the so-called migrant "Hotspot" operational processing facility on the southern Italian Pelagie Island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily
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Migrants were seen arriving in Sicily, Italy as NGOs and authorities report the number of people to land on the country's shores to be greater than one thousand within a few hours, while hundreds of others, rescued by humanitarian vessels, wait for a port to receive them.
The influx is not unusual for the summer months.Between January 1 and July 22, 34,000 people arrived in Italy by sea compared with 25,500 during the same period in 2021 and 10,900 in 2020 according to Italy's interior ministry.
The latest inflow of migrants comes at a politically sensitive time in Italy.
This year’s influx comes as Italy gears up for early elections which could bring the hard right to power.
According to the Italian media, the island's reception centre has been overwhelmed.
With a capacity of 250-300 people, it currently hosts 1,200, according to the local media.