Five male migrants aboard reached Lampedusa early on Monday aboard an Italian tax police vessel after they were rescued close to the shore, officials said. The five men are among 100 migrants to have landed on the tiny southern Italian island since late May, according to the officials.
The five migrants who arrived on Lampedusa shortly after 5am were taken to the island's Contrada Imbriacola reception centre, said officials.
The migrants who landed on Lampedusa over the past two weeks are believed to have set sail from Tunisia and from Libya aboard small boats and include women and children. Some groups of migrants swam or waded ashore, officials said.
The warmer summer weather and calmer seas have seen a recent surge in migrant crossings from North Africa although these have plunged over the past year.
