Europe News
Hundreds of would-be immigrants arrive on Italian island (Roundup)
By DPA
Jul 8, 2008, 11:59 GMT

Lampedusa, Italy - Over 650 would-be immigrants taken ashore by Italian coast guard patrols over the space of a few hours stretched resources on the island of Lampedusa Tuesday.

By late morning the number of people at a reception camp on the tiny island, which lies between Sicily and North Africa, had risen to 1,200 - double the maximum amount prescribed for the facility.

The latest arrivals included the 318 occupants of a wooden boat intercepted by a coast guard patrol some 20 nautical miles south-east of Lampedusa.

Another group consisting of 47 people, including several women and children, were brought to shore after they were rescued from a inflatable boat which was leaking, coast guard officials said.

Earlier 290 people - including 29 women and a newborn baby - were brought to the camp after they were spotted on a boat drifting some 30 nautical miles south of Lampedusa.

Officials said they were trying to establish the nationalities and identities of the would-be immigrants before organizing flights to transport them to reception centres elsewhere in Italy.

Each year thousands of would-be immigrants from Africa and Asia try to enter Europe illegally by crossing the Mediterranean Sea and attempting to land on Italy's extensive coastline.

These journeys, which are mostly carried out using ramshackle vessels, often have fatal consequences.