“It is possible to declare a state of emergency for immigration and refugees,” said the Italian minister in charge of Maritime Policy, Nello Muzumeci.

The whole matter is linked to the large increase in the number of arrivals – especially in the last few days – and is to be discussed in the Meloni government’s cabinet, which will meet this afternoon.

“I had also raised the alarm in the past days. Our islands cannot, alone, face this whole reality, the existing structures are overcrowded and it is clear that a state of emergency would facilitate the taking of the necessary decisions”Muzumechi said on Rai public radio.

In total, last weekend the Italian Coast Guard and the country’s coast guard rescued, south of Sicily, more than two thousand migrants and refugees. At this time, at the same time, a fishing boat with at least seven hundred people on board (accompanied by two speedboats of the Italian Coast Guard) is heading towards the port of Catania, where it is expected to arrive by tomorrow, early in the morning.