Massive Influx: Italian Island Overwhelmed as 7000 People Arrive in Under 24 Hours

Nearly 7,000 migrants arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in less than 24 hours, overwhelming the coast guard's capacity to intercept smugglers' vessels and testing Italy's far-right leader's pledge to combat illegal migration. France and Germany have vowed to reject migrants who arrive in Italy by sea and attempt to head northward to find jobs or relatives in other European countries. The surge in numbers was caused by a bottleneck in Tunisia's ports due to rough seas. Italy has seen over 120,000 sea arrivals this year, with most migrants attempting to reach northern Italy.