A woman gave birth to her child while trying to cross the Mediterranean at night on a barge with forty other people. When the Italian coast guard came to the rescue they found dead newborn and his mother in need of medical assistance.
The tragedy occurred in the vicinity of the Italian island of Lampedusathe closest to Africaplunged into chaos this week after the arrival of more than 10,000 migrants in just three days, of which 2,500 people are still waiting to be transferred.
The baby’s body was placed in a small coffin and immediately taken to the Lampedusa cemetery, the rescue teams said, while the mother, who was assisted by the rest of the passengers on the barge as soon as she began to feel contractions, was taken to a medical center.
The Italian Red Crosswhich manages the island’s first reception center, has assured that its volunteers “continue to incessantly guarantee the basic needs” of migrants, despite the fact that its facilities have a capacity for 400.
In the last few hours the arrivals have been contained and tonight about 120 people have arrived in Lampedusa, where the majority are identified and later transferred to other ports in Italy.