Nearly 1,200 migrants arrive in Italy in one day.
Nearly 1,200 undocumented migrants have arrived in Italy in the past 24 hours, authorities said.
The migrants, who come from several African and Middle Eastern countries, landed at several ports in Sicily.
Officials say 674 people were rescued and five bodies recovered from an overburdened fishing boat off the coast of Calabria.
It is reported that another 522 people rescued from about 15 boats were brought to Lampedusa on Saturday.
The ships had left from Libya and Tunisia. Lampedusa is one of the main ports of disembarkation for people who want to enter Europe.
Among those rescued are immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
According to Italian media, the immigration center on the island has been overwhelmed by a large increase in landings in recent weeks.
The center is reported to be far larger than its capacity of 350 people, with 1,184 people currently being held in the country.
