Almost 700 illegal migrants arrived over the weekend to the Calabrian port of Crotone in southern Italy, local media reports.
The first group of 90 people arrived at dawn on Sunday on a sailing ship intercepted by a vessel by the Italian Coast Guard off the coast of the Calabria region in southwestern Italy.
The second group of 400 arrived late in the morning on a Russian-flagged merchant ship that took the migrants on board off the coast of Crotone. Their landing proved to be a difficult task, given that the ship, due to its size, was unable to enter the port. The migrants were eventually transported by the Italian Coast Guard in groups of 90.
There were many Afghan and Syrian citizens with unaccompanied minors among them. Several children arrived with their mothers, and there were also pregnant women, one of whom was taken to a local hospital.
With the two new groups, the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Crotone in the last 24 hours has risen to 700.
The migrant center in the region is almost completely full. The migrants arrived at the south Italian port for a week, dehydrated and exhausted. Fortunately, only one was found infected with the coronavirus, said Red Cross spokeswoman Ivana Mangione.
