Updated on
Summary The immigration crisis facing Italy deepened on Tuesday as more boats arrived from North Africa.
Thousands of migrants have poured into Lampedusa in small boats since the overthrow of former Tunisian President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali in January loosened previously tight frontier controls that blocked the way into Europe. The quiet tourist islands normal population of 5,000 is now outnumbered by thousands of North African men living in improvised tent encampments on the hillsides and waiting to be taken to the mainland.In Lampedusa, the tiny island south of Sicily that has borne the brunt of the crisis, residents occupied the town hall and threatened to shut down supplies and services unless thousands of illegal migrants were moved off in the next day.
