Italian island struggles as migrant surge doubles population

The tiny Italian island of Lampedusa struggled to cope with a surge in migrant boats from North Africa after numbers peaked at 7,000 people -- equivalent to the entire local population.

The local reception centre, built to house fewer than 400 people, was overwhelmed with men, women and children forced to sleep outside on makeshift plastic cots, many wrapped in metallic emergency blankets.

Tensions broke out as food was being distributed by the Italian Red Cross, which runs the facility, causing police to intervene. Located just 90 miles off the coast of Tunisia, Lampedusa is one of the first points of call for migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

Days of fine weather has seen a surge in arrivals in recent days, with more than 5,000 people arriving in Italy on Tuesday alone.

More than 2,000 people have died this year crossing between North Africa and Italy and Malta, according to the UN migration agency.