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Rome (dpa) - More than 2000 boat migrants have arrived on the small Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa within a short time.
The Ansa news agency reported on Monday morning.
During the night, patrol ships picked up several hundred people from small boats and brought them ashore.
Others reached the coast themselves.
This means that the number of men, women and children who were registered on the island with 20 landings within 24 hours has risen to 2,128.
Lampedusa lies between North Africa and Sicily.
In recent weeks, private sea rescuers had also observed that a large number of migrants are again making the dangerous journey to Europe in rubber dinghies and small wooden ships, often from Libya and Tunisia.
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Since the beginning of the year, according to a count by the Ministry of the Interior in Rome by Friday (May 7), a total of more than 10,700 migrants came to Italy.
A year ago there were a good 4,100 at the same time. A particularly large number come from Tunisia, the Ivory Coast and Bangladesh.
Right-wing parties, including the co-ruling Lega of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, warned of "thousands of illegal immigrants" over the weekend.
Salvini announced on Sunday evening that he would look for solutions together with Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese.
Lamorgese was already in contact with Prime Minister Mario Draghi over the weekend because of the increase in the number of boat migrants, according to Ansa.
Rome tries to redistribute boat migrants quickly within the EU.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210510-99-536560 / 2
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Statistics on arrivals;
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Matteo Salvini on Sunday on Facebook;
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Politician of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia, Giorgia Meloni, on Facebook; Italian