7,018 migrants, refugees arrived in Lampedusa last week

David Lohmueller, a Germany based photographer says a  total of 7,018 migrants and refugees arrived in #Lampedusa last week.

According to him, most of the migrants and refugees are Sub-Saharan who departed from #Tunisia, where the current political situation leaves them with almost no other choice but to flee the country.

Tweeting using his handle, @DavidLohmueller, David Lohmueller said:  “While the #EU has signed a new partnership with #Tunisia, promising 105 Million € for border control & measures to prevent irregular #migration, Tunisian security forces have recently been committing serious abuses against Black African #migrants, #refugees, and asylum seekers.

“It is, no surprise that departures from Tunisia and arrival numbers in Lampedusa have increased significantly, leaving the island under a lot of pressure and pushing its reception facilities to the limits.In result, the #hotspot in #Lampedusa, originally designed to accommodate no more than 400 individuals, found itself overwhelmed as it hosted up to 3700 #migrants last week – nearly ten times its maximum capacity.

“To manage the situation amid ongoing arrivals, large-scale emergency evacuations and transfers from the #hotspot of #Lampedusa to #Sicily have been conducted on almost daily basis.

Disturbing scenes during #migrant evacuations from #Lampedusa. People left exposed for hours in the sun on deck of #Italian Navy ship. At least one person suffered from heat stroke. Authorities seemed overwhelmed & distributed emergency blankets to create makeshift sun-covers.For the past two days, less people have reached the island due to bad winds. But as sailing conditions will be improving again, many more boat arrivals can be expected.”

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