152 migrants present in Lampedusa hotspot

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 24 - There were just 152 migrants and refugees in the hotspot on Lampedusa on Sunday afternoon following a hiatus in sea arrivals due to rough seas.
    There have been no arrivals since Thursday on the tiny Sicilian island that is Europe's southernmost landmass and closer to Tunisia than it is to Italy.
    Of the group still present after recent transfers off the island, 128 were reportedly unaccompanied migrants.
    The authorities often struggle to find reception places for children on their own given the legal obligation to accommodate them in dedicated facilities.
    Lampedusa has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following an apparent sudden surge in migrant boat landings from north Africa.
    At one point, the number of migrants and refugees on the island outnumbered the local population of around 6,000.
    Last Sunday Premier Giorgia Meloni traveled to the island with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen to assess the situation and insist that Europe take more responsibility for managing the situation.
    During the visit, Von der Leyen presented the 10-point Lampedusa plan including a possible new EU naval mission in the Mediterranean, faster repatriations of people whose asylum claims have been rejected and humanitarian corridors for legal arrivals.
    "Italy can count on the EU," von der Leyen told a press conference on the island.
    "It is very important to be here today together with the Italian authorities. "Migration is a European challenge that requires a European answer and solution.
    "It is concrete actions that will bring change on the ground.
    "It is only through solidarity and unity that we can achieve this," she said. (ANSA).