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On Wednesday night, several fires broke out in the desperately overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Thousands of residents have been evacuated or have fled to the mountains. The situation is confusing.
What happened?
Greek media brought it online Wednesday night: Seas of flames rage at Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, people running for their lives. Videos on social media show lost and scared people, parents pushing strollers out of the danger zone. According to Greek media, the camp is almost on fire, people are being evacuated or have taken refuge in the forests and hills surrounding the camp. The locals are said to have partially obstructed them. So far there is no information on injuries or even deaths.
Camp residents are said to have thrown stones at firefighters and tried to hamper the firefighting work, the operations chief said on Greek television. The riot police are in action with special units.
Post lots of videos #Moria. If the fire is not stopped, tomorrow there will be little left. Residents report many deaths and thousands homeless.
It doesn’t matter who started the fire: the European idea burns in Moria. #leavenoonebehind pic.twitter.com/EXM6m1pWMD– Erik Marquardt (@ErikMarquardt) September 9, 2020
Why did the fires start?
At the moment it is not known if the fires were started by migrants or islanders; the information in this regard initially differed.
According to available information, several fires broke out on Wednesday night. Strong winds of up to 70 kilometers per hour continue to fan the flames. According to Greek media reports, authorities began evacuating the camp that night after the residential containers caught fire.
What role can the coronavirus play?
In recent days there has been an increase in unrest in the countryside, which is designed for 2,800 people, but where some 12,600 currently live. After an outbreak of the coronavirus in the camp had long been prevented, the first cases were known in early September. On Tuesday, the number of people who tested positive rose to 35. Then some migrants tried to leave the quarantine camp to avoid becoming infected. Others who had been infected, however, refused to be isolated.
Residents of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos are running for their lives Wednesday night after a fire broke out in the camp.
How was the situation in Moria?
There have always been tensions in Moria, because of the crown problem, the situation now literally exploded, Mytilinis mayor Stratos Kytelis told Greek state broadcaster ERT. It is not known where people should stay now, thousands are homeless. The situation is also a huge burden for the locals.
About a year ago, on September 29, 2019, two fires broke out in both the Moria reception camp and the makeshift Olive Grove tent camp next door. At that moment a woman died. While the fire at the tent camp was quickly extinguished, the so-called hotspot, the island’s registration center, suffered considerable damage. During and after the fires, riots and riots broke out among the thousands of migrants. Later, the Greek government evacuated about 200 people, mainly families with children, to the mainland.
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