Italian island struggles to tackle migrant surge, doubling population

Italian island struggles to tackle migrant surge, doubling population

The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling to cope with a surge in migrant boats from North Africa.

The tiny island is hosting more than 7,000 people, which is equivalent to the entire local population.

Men, women and children were forced to sleep on makeshift camping stretchers as the local migrant reception centre was overwhelmed, built to house fewer than 400 people.

Almost 124,000 migrants have arrived on Italy's shores so far this year, up from 65,500 in the same period last year.