Lampedusa Case Study

Lampedusa is an italian island located 70km of the Tunisian coast 

• By June 2011 between 15,000 and 40,000 immigrants resident in refugee camps
• Immigrants mainly travel from Tunisia and Libya 
• Thousands of immigrants sent to camps on Italy 
• Many instances of violence, arson and rioting occurred in the refugee camps
• Around 1600 immigrants have drowned in overcrowd boats trying to make the journey 

On 3 October 2013, a boat carrying immigrants sank close to the island. The boat originated from Libya, however most of the occupants were originally from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana. The italian Coast Guard rescued 155 survivors and the death toll is estimated to be more than 360. 

Following this and other incidents the italians led Mediterranean - wide search and rescue patrols to assist in intercepting and rescuing migrant boats although this was later halted due to funding issues. 

In April 2015 

• five boats sank in the Mediterranean Sea with death toll of more than 1,200. 
• boat from Libya heading to Malta carrying 850 sank leaving only 28 survivors.