Italy declares state of emergency
Almaty. February 14. Kazakhstan Today - The Italian government has declared a state of emergency over influx of 5,000 illegal immigrants from north Africa, Kazakhstan Today reports.
A state of emergency has been declared by the Italian government after 5,000 illegal immigrants fleeing riot-torn Tunisia arrived in just five days, The Telegraph reported.
Coastguard officials said that in just one 12-hour period 977 had arrived, with many more boats seen on radar screens approaching from north Africa.
The vessels carrying the illegal immigrants had all arrived on the tiny volcanic island of Lampedusa, which is just 60 miles from the Tunisian coast and the lone accommodation centre was struggling to cope.
On Sunday, Tunisia sent security forces to coastal areas to stop the exodus.
Roberto Maroni, the interior minister, said the emergency had been declared because they feared "possible terrorists" had infiltrated the illegal immigrants and would then slip into the country.
He added that there was a risk that some of those who were trying to enter Italy could have come from prisons that were stormed during the unrest last month and had escaped.
The influx comes after the fall of Tunisia's veteran ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 and the ensuing weeks of social unrest and lawlessness.
Yesterday, Italy appealed for urgent EU aid to halt a wave of illegal immigrants fleeing Tunisia as hundreds more arrived by boat. The new arrivals on the island of Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost point, took to more than 5000 the number of undocumented immigrants intercepted by coastguard patrols and brought to the tiny outcrop in the past five days, Heraldsun informed.
The immigrants said they were fleeing poverty and continued unrest in the North African state in the wake of an uprising last month that ousted veteran ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is set to visit Tunisia today. Her spokesman said the flood of immigrants was a side-issue to the original purpose of her visit, which was to nurture democratic reforms.
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