Some 39 migrants landed autonomously in Lampedusa early on Sunday (July 7) after travelling two days at sea. The group who departed from Libya, managed to reach the island without being detected by patrol boats and ended up on the rocks in the dark area of the island. Barefoot, they climbed from the rocks and reached the road where a citizen spotted them and alerted the police. Authorities said most of them were from Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh. They reported being in a camp in Libya for 44 days before escaping and taking the perilous journey. The United Nations has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world. Italy has urged Tunisia and Libya to do more to stop would-be migrants from putting to sea. It has also clamped down on the operations of rescue ships, saying they encourage people to head to Europe – something the charities deny.
