(ANSA) - Lampedusa, August 28 - Migrant-filled boats were towed to safety to the island of Lampedusa and to a
beach near Agrigento on Sunday.
Officials said 150 migrants packed aboard a rickety 12-metre-long vessel were rescued at Siculiana, near Agrigento.
Six migrants, who tried to swim to shore, had to be rushed to hospital. The others will be taken to a holding centre at Caltanissetta after identification procedures are competed, officials said. Another two boats, carrying a total of 50 migrants, were intercepted near the coast of Siracusa during the night.
A group of 100 would-be-immigrants, including nine women and several children, landed in Lampedusa. The would-be immigrants were taken to Lampedusa's holding centre, already overflowing with 409 people.
The complex can hold only 190 people. Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than Italy, is frequently used a stepping-stone by migrants heading for Europe.
