Migrants arrive in the harbour of Italian island of Lampedusa, on September 18, 2023. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)
Warsaw: EU border patrol agency Frontex on Wednesday said it would boost support to Italy following last week's wave of migrant arrivals on the island of Lampedusa.
Some 8,500 people landed on Lampedusa from 199 boats between Monday and Wednesday last week, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration -- prompting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to travel there Sunday and announce an emergency action plan.
Frontex said it would send more staff to Italy and "double the number of flight hours" its surveillance planes carry out over the central Mediterranean Sea.
It also proposed "additional satellite images of the main departure areas of migrants from Tunisia", which are aimed at helping Italian authorities monitor the sea and launch any rescue operations.
The agency also said it would also send additional staff to help register the migrants at their ports of arrival in Italy.
