ROME: A boat carrying more than 600 illegal immigrants from Egypt reached Sicily s southern coast and the migrants were being transferred Tuesday to several holding centers in the region, according to news reports and port authorities in Palermo.
The Italian Coast Guard escorted the fishing boat carrying 648 immigrants to shore late Monday after spotting it earlier in the day about 29 km from the coast, port authorities in Palermo said.
The Ansa news agency reported that about 400 of the migrants were being flown to a holding center in Crotone, in the southern region of Calabria, while the rest were being sent to similar centers in Sicily.
Thousands of migrants, often setting out from North Africa, try to reach Italy s coasts every year. If the migrants do not have the necessary documents and a job awaiting them in Italy, they are issued deportation papers.
