Island migrant crowd surges

Several hundred more migrants reached a tiny Italian island before dawn Monday, swelling to past 2,100 the number of arrivals in 24 hours and fueling calls for the Italian government to strengthen its migration policies.

Italian state radio said four boats arrived at Lampedusa island after being escorted the last miles by Italian coast guard vessels. The 635 latest arrivals followed more than 1,400 who arrived on Sunday.

Human traffickers often take advantage of calm seas to launch unseaworthy boats toward European shores.