A fishing boat carrying 398 Syrian nationals landed in the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday after Coast Guards rescued it about 70 miles off the coast. Another 111 migrants reached the island later after port authority patrol boats rescued them close to the coast. Overall, 507 immigrants arrived in Lampedusa in just a few hours on Wednesday.
The local migrant center in the island's Imbriacola area is now holding 1,250 migrants. The center should accommodate a maximum of 350 people.
Last night another 200 refugees, including about 70 children, were rescued by Coast Guards in the Strait of Sicily.
