The arrival of more than 1,630 irregular migrants on the Italian
island of Lampedusa on Sunday 20 March and overnight Monday 21st
has led to massive overcrowding at the migrant reception centre
where IOM and partners monitor reception assistance and provide
legal counselling to migrants, asylum-seekers and unaccompanied
minors.

With the weekend's arrival of Tunisian migrants bringing the
current number of migrants on Lampedusa to nearly 4,780 and the
reception centre built to host 800 people, migrants are being
hosted wherever possible around the island.

This includes about 2,000 migrants at the port area which
doesn't have the sanitation facilities needed to host such numbers
of people and who for the past few days have been sleeping in the
open without adequate protection from the elements and in whatever
space they can find.

Among the nearly 4,780 migrants on Lampedusa are about 200
minors. IOM and UNHCR worked with partner Save the Children to find
suitable accommodation for all the minors who have arrived in
recent days and who could not be left to sleep at the pier with no
blankets or mattresses.

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IOM also found safe accommodation for 13 women away from the
overcrowded reception centre.

With boat landings taking place during the day and night, IOM
and partners are working in shifts to ensure assistance is provided
24 hours a day.

Staff report that the situation on the island, which has a
population of 5,000, is critical and tense and that rapid transfers
to other migrant reception centres elsewhere in Italy are
essential.

Since February, around 14,000 Tunisian migrants have arrived on
Lampedusa. With migrant reception centres in Puglia in southern
Italy and on Sicily also fairly full, Italian authorities have
established a centre at an ex-NATO base residence at Mineo on
Sicily.

From today, 21 March, IOM staff will be present at Mineo where,
as part of an Italian government funded project, the Organization
will provide legal counselling to migrants and monitor reception
assistance.

The vast majority of the migrants who have arrived on Lampedusa
are young men who have left Tunisia either to find employment in
Europe or to be united with families.

For further information, please contact:

Flavio di Giacomo

IOM Rome

Tel: +39.06.44.186.207

       +39.347.089.89.96

E-mail: "mailto:fdigiacomo@iom.int">fdigiacomo@iom.int