[ad_1]
As we gradually prepare for a cozy Christmas party, a serious humanitarian emergency has arisen in a Bosnian refugee camp.
A major fire broke out in the makeshift migrant camp in Lipa, in northwestern Bosnia. The images show dense black smoke rising from the Lipa tent camp near the Croatian border. Between 1,200 and 1,300 refugees are now homeless and it is winter.
According to media reports, the camp residents fled the fire in panic. Witnesses said the fire apparently started in a fuel depot and then quickly spread to the tents where the more than 1,200 migrants lived, who are now completely defenseless. A journalist on the site even reported 1,500 people.
Particularly dramatic: A journalist currently on the scene told BILD that the helpers had put out the fire, but left again. As the local government does not want to host the people, the refugees now apparently have to spend the night in the open air. In freezing temperatures and freezing temperatures at night!
According to information from BILD, there are currently no injuries from the fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be conclusively clarified. According to initial estimates, a group of former residents of the camp set fire to three tents and containers. This is what the coordinator of the Western Balkans and head of mission of the International Organization for Migration in Bosnia, Peter Van der Auweraert reports.
“As far as we know now, a group of former residents set fire to three tents and containers after most of the migrants left the camp. Fortunately, there have been no losses yet, but this is still a disaster, ”said Van Der Auweraert on Twitter.
Photo: REUTERS
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/eine-riesige-rauchwolke-erstreck-sich-in-den-himmel-898d7413065d4411adb987f2e875ebc5-74599676/Bild/9.bild.jpg “/> A huge cloud of smoke stretches into the sky.Photo: REUTERS
Natasa Omerovic, head of the camp, said according to APE-MPE (Athens News Agency – Macedonian News Agency): “As we can see, the tents catch fire in a chain action and I think we are talking about vandalism. The migrants are upset and angry, we can hear them cursing the state. “
Meanwhile, the EU had already warned Bosnia that thousands of migrants would face a freezing winter without shelter and urged the country’s politicians to take action. The first snow of that month had caused alarms among residents about the upcoming winter. Migrants in the makeshift tents called for help in light of the low temperatures.
Even before the fire, the EU feared that the announced closure of the Lipa camp would make the situation worse, despite the deplorable living conditions there. The camp was set up only as a temporary measure to cope with the effects of the coronavirus during the summer.
Bosnia has become a bottleneck for thousands of migrants waiting for the European Union. Most are trapped in the northwestern Krajina region of the country, as other regions of the ethnically divided nation have refused to accept the refugees.
