Camp of the Saints: Whose Numbers?

Another boatload of culture-enrichers arrived on Lampedusa today. The latest reports also give a higher figure for the number of arrivals over the weekend, forcing an upward revision in the year-to-date total. But before we get down to the actual numbers, let’s take a look at a pair of similar paragraphs included in two of today’s news stories about the recent arrivals in Lampedusa (with my emphases added).

First, from ANSA:

Around 40,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa from North Africa, first in a large wave from Tunisia and then in a smaller one from Libya, since the beginning of the year.

Second, from AKI:

Some 40,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa from North Africa this year, initially from Tunisia at the time of the unrest that overthrew autocratic president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January and subsequently from Libya.

The Italian news media have been stuck on that “40,000” figure for three months now, ever since the government released its official total. However, I’ve been carefully tracking the new arrivals since then, recording the numbers reported by the media and adding them to a running total. The figure passed 50,000 last week, and has increased by more than three thousand since then.

It’s time to revise your stock figure, guys.

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As far as can be determined, all the news stories below refer to the arrival of the same boat, which was rescued this morning off Lampedusa. The number of passengers was first given as 200, and then later revised to 280.

Two of the news stories refer to the arrival of 2,500 culture-enrichers over the weekend, which is 900 more than the figure I reported last night. As a result, the total number of arrivals for the year must be raised by 1,180 to just over 53,000. To keep up, the Cultural Enrichment Thermometer has been ratcheted up another pixel in the graphic at the top of this post.

The first brief mention from AGI:

Lampedusa Witnesses Landing of a Further 200-Odd Migrants

(AGI) Palermo — Lampedusa witnessed the landing of some 200 North African migrants this morning, ending yesterday’s respite. The vessel - which set for sea from Libya - reached the port of Cala Pisana escorted by police and coast guard motorboats. (AGI).

Then came a much more extensive report from AKI, using a larger figure:

Over 2,500 Migrants Land on Southern Italian Island

Lampedusa, 16 August (AKI) — A boat carrying over 200 migrants landed on the southern island of Lampedusa on Tuesday, after 2,500 reached the island in recent days. The boat set sail for Italy on Sunday from Libya where civil war has been raging between rebels and forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi for almost six months.

The vessel had 274 illegal immigrants on board from Sub-Saharan African countries and included 20 women and a child.

Coast Guard officials and police intercepted the latest boat and were transferring the migrants to the island’s migrant reception centre, which is currently hosting 1,180 migrants.

The boat landed in the bay of Cala Pisana where a ferry was about to set sail for Porto Empedcocle in Sicily. A total of 456 migrants were transferred by ferry late Monday to reception centres on the western island of Sardinia and across the Italian mainland.

Some 40,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa from North Africa this year, initially from Tunisia at the time of the unrest that overthrew autocratic president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January and subsequently from Libya.

Lampedusa has a sole reception centre designed to accommodate 850 people at most . The government has had to deport migrants and transfer others to other detention centres in Italy after locals protested the influx of migrants was harming the tiny island’s crucial tourism and fishing sectors.

A later report from AGI gave the number as 280:

280 Refugees Reach Lampedusa

(AGI) Palermo — 280 refugees, including 20 women and a child, reached the island of Lampedusa this morning. The refugees arrived on a vessel escorted into the port by Carabinieri and Coast Guard. The immigrants, who sailed out of Libya two days ago, were registered after deboarding and taken to the Imbriacola reception center, where nearly 1,200 persons are already lodged after their transferal yesterday from a Moby company ship.

Which was echoed by ANSAmed:

280 Land on Lampedusa, Over 2000 During Weekend

(ANSAmed) — Lampedusa (Agrigento), August 16 — There were 280 migrants including 20 women and one child who landed on Lampedusa this morning on a large raft, the latest in a long line of landings which between August 13 and 14 brought about 2,000 migrants to Lampedusa from North Africa. The latest arrivals have been transferred into the reception centres where there are already 1180 migrants after the transfer of 450 refugees yesterday. Their boat arrived in the Cala Pisana wharf this morning, where the Palladio ferry was preparing to leave for Porto Empedocle. Between August 13 and 14 an overall 2,000 migrants landed on Lampedusa including about 200 Tunisians, while most of the others were coming from Libya.

Among those who did not survive the crossings were three migrants who fell into the sea and were lost off Marettimo, who had arrived in Italy with three others on a three-metre-long fibreglass boat which capsized. The other three were rescued.

Finally, a longer version from ANSA:

Hundreds of Migrants Land on Lampedusa

Almost 2,500 new arrivals in recent days

(ANSA) — Lampedusa, August 16 — A boat carrying hundreds of migrants landed on the southern island of Lampedusa on Tuesday.

The new arrivals came after almost 2,500 migrants landed on the island off the coast of Sicily in the past three days.

The latest boat landed in the bay of Cala Pisana where a ferry was about to set sail for Porto Empedcocle in Sicily.

Coast Guard officials and police met the vessel and were transferring the migrants to the island’s migrant reception centre, which is currently hosting 1,180 migrants.

Tuesday’s arrivals followed the transfer of 450 people who arrived at Lampedusa on Monday.

Meanwhile around 100 migrants travelling by ferry from Lampedusa on Wednesday are expected to land at the Sardinian port of Cagliari where they will be transferred to local migrant reception centres in Cagliari, Oristano, Nuoro and Olbia-Tempio.

Around 40,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa from North Africa, first in a large wave from Tunisia and then in a smaller one from Libya, since the beginning of the year.

The reception facilities of the small island, which is closer to Africa than to Sicily, were quickly overrun and the Italian government has had to ship migrants out after protests from islanders.

Hat tips: C. Cantoni and Insubria.

For previous posts about the Mediterranean refugee crisis, see The Camp of the Saints Archive.