A group of refugees has discovered that some victims of the October 2013 shipwreck off Lampedusa were moved from their tombs to a mass grave. This has drawn criticism from activists, and local authorities have launched an investigation into what happened.
More than 600 migrants arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa at the weekend, as the island marked the anniversary of the tragic shipwreck which claimed the lives of over 360 migrants eight years ago.
The UN has calculated that almost 18,000 people lost their lives in the Mediterranean since a ship capsized in 2013 off Lampedusa, killing 368.
The Geo Barents rescue ship, run by the medical charity Doctors without Borders (MSF), docked in a Sicilian port on Wednesday and disembarked the 60 migrants it had rescued just over a week earlier.
Within just a few hours, over 800 migrants hailing from Syria, Bangladesh, Morocco and Egypt landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa on several boats. Italian media reported that women and children were among the 686 passengers of the largest of the boats, which had set off in Libya.
The Italian coast guard rescued 125 people from the rocky shore of a tiny uninhabited island on Thursday. Rescue workers said the migrants were in a 'state of shock'.
A group of 160 migrants left the Italian island of Lampedusa for Sicily on Thursday morning. But the island's reception center is still overflowing, with more than twice as many people as it can hold.
The number of migrants arriving in Italy from Tunisia and Liby has doubled in the first eight months of this year compared to last year. In August alone, more than 10,000 people arrived. Over the last few days, dozens of people were rescued from overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean.
More than 500 migrants arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa at the weekend. A nurse from the medical charity MSF said many were injured and some had scars from torture.
Hotly-debated issues surrounding migration have once again been rekindled in Italy, as the number of arrivals rises. Meanwhile, Rome has asked for more solidarity within Europe as dialogue with Libya and Tunisia on migrant management heats up.
The Catholic charity Caritas has launched an appeal to recover the bodies of nine victims of a shipwreck on June 30 off Lampedusa.
Right-wing League party leader Matteo Salvini attacked Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese following migrant landings in recent days. Salvini is calling for a sign from the minister, but maintains his party will stay in the government.