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| Europe |
| Italy: Over 569 |
| 2008-11-22 |
| (AKI) - A total of 569 illegal immigrants have landed on Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa on Friday, aboard four boats. The fourth and latest arrival of 200 immigrants on Friday was intercepted by Italian naval authorities 26 nautical miles off Lampedusa. Coastguard early on Friday intercepted the first boat with nine illegals on board after a tip-off from inhabitants of the tiny island. An hour later, an Italian tax police patrol boat reached the second people smugglers' boat with 294 people on board, some 10 nautical miles south of Lampedusa, and accompanied it into port. The second boat's passengers included 18 women and 21 minors. A third boat with 66 illegal immigrants on board including eight women. After preliminary health checks, the illegal immigrants were taken to Lampedusa's identification and expulsion centre. Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the European continent and a favourite drop-off point for the people smugglers. Also, Italy has the European Union's longest coastline - 4,500 kilometres - making it difficult to police and a preferred destination for migrants. Most of the people-smuggling boats set sail from North Africa. But the majority of illegal migrants (63 percent) enter Italy by land or plane, according to the Interior Ministry. The would-be migrants usually travel aboard people smugglers' boats, typically paying thousands of dollars for their passage. Scores drown or die of dehydration, hunger and/heatstroke on the perilous journey. |
| Posted by:Fred |