Lampedusa: Inside the camp at the heart of Europe’s migrant surge - BBC News

At least 10,000 migrants arrived on Italy's Lampedusa island last week, stretching local resources.

22 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsEurope migrant crisisBy Reha Kansara & Emir NaderBBC Trending & Newsnight, in LampedusaThousands of migrants arrived on the shores of Lampedusa last week, overloading local resources on the Italian island. The BBC's Reha Kansara and Emir Nader visited the holding centre, also known as the "Hotspot", where migrants are held.

Lampedusa's Hotspot has seen busier days.

A day before, rows of migrants - mostly men from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East - sought shade under a sprinkling of trees by the iron-gated entrance to the camp.

Now, as we walk into it, those areas are deserted, with no evidence of overcrowding left behind.

In recent months, the centre has been overwhelmed beyond its capacity. The Italian Red Cross estimates the island hosted at least 10,000 newly arrived people last week, many of them coming by boat from Tunisia.

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