Refugees continue to flood Italian island

Mar 19, 2011, 11:15 GMT

Some of the migrants rescued during the night of 14 March near the Italian island of Lampedusa by the Italian Navy ship Spica, have their belongings inspected in Lampedusa, Italy, 15 March 2011. According to media reports, over 1,600 migrants landed on Lampedusa overnight. There are also reports stating that dozens of migrants are missing after their boat capsized. EPA/FRANCO LANNINO

Lampedusa, Italy - A further 378 refugees landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa overnight into Saturday, according to Italian media, further stretching already overcrowded facilities.

A refugee reception centre designed to hold 850 people was currently housing well over 3,000.

On Friday, the island's residents prevented coast guard ships holding refugees rescued from rickety boats from landing for hours by blocking the piers of the two harbours.

The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that the situation could escalate if more people flee Libya due to the ongoing conflict there. Most of the current refugees are from Tunisia.

In mid-February, shortly after the fall of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, around 5,600 refugees arrived on Lampedusa within the space of a few days.

The 20 square kilometre island south of Sicily has just 4,500 inhabitants. Just 130 kilometres from Tunisia's coast, it has long been seen as a gateway to Europe.

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