More than 2,000 African migrants arrive in southern Italy by boat

London: More than 2,000 migrants on Tuesday arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on 33 boats, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The migrants — most of whom had departed from the Tunisian city of Sfax — came from Sudan, Chad, Tunisia, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon. They claimed to have each paid 5,000 Tunisian dinars ($1,595) for the crossing.

The arrivals followed the landing of 51 boats on Monday, which carried 1,993 migrants to Italy’s southernmost point.

Authorities in the Sicilian city of Agrigento arranged a ferry to pick up 600 people from Lampedusa and transport them to Porto Empedocle, ANSA reported. The coast guard ship Diciotti is also scheduled to transport migrants from the island.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday offered her country’s support to Libya after the country was hit by devastating floods. She said she had offered to send assistance.

Her office told ANSA: “Premier Giorgia Meloni learned with pain of the major damage caused by Hurricane Daniel, which hit eastern Libya causing death, injury and destruction.

“Italy expresses all its closeness and solidarity to the families of the victims and to the Libyan people and it has activated the Civil Protection Department to assist Libya in the best possible way with this emergency.”