Tragedy Strikes: Two Dead, Dozens Rescued from Migrant Shipwrecks near Italy's Lampedusa
Two people have died and around 30 are missing after two migrant shipwrecks off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island. The coastguard has rescued 57 people, while another 34 migrants were airlifted from a cliff. Italy has seen a surge in sea migration, with nearly 92,000 arrivals this year. The shipwrecks occurred in rough seas, and the provincial police chief criticized those responsible for allowing the migrants to sail in such dangerous conditions. Over 2,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa in recent days, and Spanish NGO group Open Arms was finally allowed to disembark 195 rescued migrants in the port of Brindisi. Italy's policy of assigning far-away ports to charity ships has been criticized by NGOs for increasing navigation costs and prolonging the suffering of survivors.