The arrival of hundreds of migrants crammed into a rickety fishing boat has worsened the severe overcrowding at shelters on a tiny Italian island, triggering an angry demonstration by islanders and a vow Sunday by the mayor to call a protest strike.

While tensions grew on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, another migrant drama was reported. RAI state TV said a fire broke out on a small migrant boat off the coast of Calabria, on the mainland, just as the passengers were being transferred to an Italian military boat.

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The Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, and the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, meet at the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The arrival of hundreds of migrants crammed into a rickety fishing boat has worsened the severe overcrowding at shelters on a tiny Italian island, triggering an angry demonstration by islanders and a vow Sunday by the mayor to call a protest strike.
A boy waves to the crew of the Astral rescue vessel from the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Italian news agency LaPresse said about 20 migrants had been aboard the boat. Two customs police were reported injured.
People stand on the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. British artist Banksy has financed a boat to rescue refugees attempting to reach Europe from north Africa. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Lampedusa Mayor Toto' Martello expressed astonishment that a fishing boat carrying 450 migrants managed to arrive within a few kilometers of the island without being noticed by military vessels or aircraft, including from the European Frontex mission, which is supposed to be fighting human trafficking in the central Mediterranean.
Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, wave at Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

A week earlier, citing concern over COVID-19 infections, Sicily's governor ordered migrant processing centers on the large Mediterranean island to shut down. But the center-left Italian government, which is in charge of migrant policy nationwide, went to court and the governor's order was stayed, pending a hearing next month.
Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, approach the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Louise Michel was still at sea, as were other private rescue boats, appealing for permission from either Italy or Malta to disembark hundreds of migrants they collectively have aboard, many who have been stuck for days or weeks.
Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
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The Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, and the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, meet at the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The arrival of hundreds of migrants crammed into a rickety fishing boat has worsened the severe overcrowding at shelters on a tiny Italian island, triggering an angry demonstration by islanders and a vow Sunday by the mayor to call a protest strike.

A boy waves to the crew of the Astral rescue vessel from the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Italian news agency LaPresse said about 20 migrants had been aboard the boat. Two customs police were reported injured.

People stand on the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. British artist Banksy has financed a boat to rescue refugees attempting to reach Europe from north Africa. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Lampedusa Mayor Toto' Martello expressed astonishment that a fishing boat carrying 450 migrants managed to arrive within a few kilometers of the island without being noticed by military vessels or aircraft, including from the European Frontex mission, which is supposed to be fighting human trafficking in the central Mediterranean.

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, wave at Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

A week earlier, citing concern over COVID-19 infections, Sicily's governor ordered migrant processing centers on the large Mediterranean island to shut down. But the center-left Italian government, which is in charge of migrant policy nationwide, went to court and the governor's order was stayed, pending a hearing next month.

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, approach the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Louise Michel was still at sea, as were other private rescue boats, appealing for permission from either Italy or Malta to disembark hundreds of migrants they collectively have aboard, many who have been stuck for days or weeks.

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

RAI said fuel on the migrant boat apparently caused a fire, then an explosion, and migrants ended up in the sea near Crotone. Crews from the Italian coast guard and custom boats rescued most of them, but six persons were missing, the state TV report said.

The Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, and the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, meet at the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, and the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, meet at the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Italian news agency LaPresse said about 20 migrants had been aboard the boat. Two customs police were reported injured.

Bathers at a beach near Crotone watched dark smoke pour out of the vessel a few kilometers (miles) offshore.

On Lampedusa, a migrant center meant to house fewer than 200 was now crammed with 1,200 people after the latest arrivals, including several small boats with migrants that set out apparently from Tunisia and reached the island without needing rescue.

A boy waves to the crew of the Astral rescue vessel from the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

A boy waves to the crew of the Astral rescue vessel from the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Lampedusa Mayor Toto' Martello expressed astonishment that a fishing boat carrying 450 migrants managed to arrive within a few kilometers of the island without being noticed by military vessels or aircraft, including from the European Frontex mission, which is supposed to be fighting human trafficking in the central Mediterranean.

The Italian coast guard escorted the fishing vessel to port Saturday night, where Lampedusa residents staged a protest, with some lying down, yelling “Enough!”

“Last night was a sit-in but I will call a strike” this week, with storekeepers shuttering shops for a day on the island, which lives off tourism and fishing, Martello said. The strike is aimed “against a government which doesn't have a strategy” to deal with migrants, he said.

People stand on the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. British artist Banksy has financed a boat to rescue refugees attempting to reach Europe from north Africa. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

People stand on the deck of the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. British artist Banksy has financed a boat to rescue refugees attempting to reach Europe from north Africa. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

A week earlier, citing concern over COVID-19 infections, Sicily's governor ordered migrant processing centers on the large Mediterranean island to shut down. But the center-left Italian government, which is in charge of migrant policy nationwide, went to court and the governor's order was stayed, pending a hearing next month.

With so many migrants on Lampedusa, a Catholic parish stepped in to find housing for the latest several hundred arrivals.

Also reaching Lampedusa on Saturday were 49 migrants whom the Italian coast guard took from a dangerously overcrowded rescue boat, the Louise Michel, which took on so many people it couldn't navigate. The Louise Michel's operation is funded by street artist Banksy, who also painted the vessel a bright pink, including a lifesaving buoy in the shape of a heart.

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, wave at Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, wave at Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

The Louise Michel was still at sea, as were other private rescue boats, appealing for permission from either Italy or Malta to disembark hundreds of migrants they collectively have aboard, many who have been stuck for days or weeks.

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, approach the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Members of the Astral crew, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, approach the Louise Michel rescue vessel, a French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

 Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

 Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)

Louise Michel rescue vessel, a former French patrol boat currently manned by activists and funded by the renowned artist Banksy, is seen from the Astral, a rescue ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Central Mediterranean sea, at 50 miles south from Lampedusa, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. A Berlin-based group says it has begun migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea with a bright pink former navy vessel sponsored by British artist Banksy. The group operating the MV Louise Michel, a sleek 30-meter (98-foot) ship named after a 19th century French feminist and anarchist, said late Thursday that it rescued 89 from an inflatable boat in distress. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)