Daily US Times: Fire has destroyed Greece’s largest migrant camp, the Moria facility on the island of Lesbos. The facility was heavily overcrowded.
About 25 firefighters with 10 engines battled the fires as migrants were evacuated while some suffered injuries from smoke exposure.
Reports say the migrants protesting against the coronavirus rules may have started the fire, though this is no confirmed.
Police blocked migrants heading to the port town of Mytilene, leaving them stuck on the road.
Moria is home to nearly 13,000 people, which is more than four times the number it can officially hold. About 70% of people in the camp are from Afghanistan but migrants from more than 70 different countries live there, according to InfoMigrants.
The deputy governor of Lesbos Aris Hatzikomninos reportedly told local radio the camp had been “completely destroyed”.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, called an emergency meeting on the fire on Wednesday morning.
The EU has agreed to finance the transfer of 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to the mainland and their accommodation, according to EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.
She tweeted: “The safety and shelter of all people in Moria is a priority.”
One local resident said almost the whole camp had been on fire.
Thanasis Voulgarakis said: “Now with the first light I can see that there is a few tents that make it, they are okay, but the rest of the camp, as I can see from this distance, is burnt out.”
Last week, the camp was placed under quarantine after a migrant tested positive for the coronavirus. There are now 35 confirmed cases.
It is unclear how exactly the fires started. Greek news agency ANA said the fires had broken out after some of the 35 had refused to move into isolation with their families but this is unconfirmed. There are wildfires burning elsewhere on Lesbos, fanned by strong winds in the region.
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