(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 7 - A total of 607 migrants and refugees arrived in Lampedusa in seven separate landings on Sunday, taking to 1,649 the number of people in the hotspot against an official capacity of less than 400.
On Saturday a total of 1,326 people arrived by sea in 23 landings on the tiny Sicilian island that is a staging post for migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous crossing to Europe.
A group of 349 people was transferred off Lampedusa to mainland Sicily on Saturday evening.
Of the boats arriving on Saturday seven, carrying a total of 499 people, had set sail from Libya, and specifically from Zuwara, Sabratha, Tripoli and Tagiura.
The boats used in the crossing from Libya are typically wooden, measure 10-12 m and carry up to 130 people, while those departing from Tunisia are generally smaller (6-7 m) and made of metal and carry up to 50 people.
The profiles of the migrants and refugees departing from the two countries are also different.
Groups leaving from Libya tend to include more Egyptians, Moroccans, Syrians, Ethiopians and Palestinians, while those departing from Tunisia have a greater representation of people from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Gambia, Mali and Sudan.
On Sunday the last two boats to arrive had departed from Libya.
The first , measuring 12 m and carrying 118 people from Bangladesh, Eritrea and Nigeria, was intercepted by a finance police patrol and accompanied to shore.
The new arrivals reported having set sail from Zuwara west of Tripoli at 8.30 pm on Friday evening.
They said they had each paid 5,000 euros for the sea crossing.
The second boat, also measuring 12 m and carrying 151 people from Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria and Pakistan, was intercepted by the coast guard and accompanied to shore.
It too had departed from Zuwara. (ANSA).