A total of 26 Algerian migrants landed on the island of Sardinia on Thursday aboard two boats, bringing to 53 the number who have reached the western Italian region in the past 24 hours.
One boat with 17 Algerians on board reached Porto Pino and a second landed at the fishing village of Maladroxia, both on Sardinia's southwest coast. Police took the 26 migrants to an identification centre near Calgliari. One of the migrants claimed to be a minor, police said.
On Wednesday, 13 Algerians landed at dawn at Porto Pino, while 14 arrived in the nearby Porto Tramatzu. All were carrying backpacks with a change of clothes, their mobile phones and unspecified quantities of cash, and were in good physical condition, said police.