Some 50,000 migrants who arrived irregularly in Italy have “disappeared” on the peninsula after they submitted requests for asylum, Italian media report.

It is possible that they have moved on north into other European countries, the reports say.

Italy is at present dealing with 80,000 migrants who are present in the system, the media say, but calculating the number of migrants who have entered Italy over the past 18 months, some 50,000 are not accounted for.

As Europe awaits a final decision on the draft plan for the distribution of migrants all across the continent – a decision which, it is said, will water down the original arrangement – France has taken steps to monitor their border with Italy.

Police have been stationed in the south-east of France along the border with Italy to monitor the situation.

Italy in the meantime is struggling to cope with the influx as cities like Milan and Roma have been overcome by migrants who are sleeping in public places such as train stations and gardens.

An official of the Lombardy Security Department said that more than half of the migrants seen by health authorities have been found to be suffering from scabies while there are also two suspected cases of malaria.