More migrants reach Lampedusa for second day

Several hundred more migrants reached a tiny Italian island before dawn on Monday, swelling to more than 2,100 the number of arrivals in some 24 hours. Italian media reported four boats arrived at Lampedusa Island after being escorted the last miles to port early on Monday by Italian coast guard or police vessels.

The 635 latest arrivals followed more than 1,400 who arrived on Sunday. Hundreds more were being transferred to an unused passenger ferry offshore for quarantine until they can be tested for COVID-19. In recent years, there have been similar surges in springtime in the number of migrant arrivals.