LESBOS ISLAND, Greece, Sept 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Thousands of asylum
seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos were left homeless Wednesday after
fleeing for their lives as a huge fire ripped through the camp of Moria, the
country’s largest and most notorious migrant facility.
Over 12,000 men, women and children ran in panic out of containers and
tents into nearby olive groves and fields as the fire destroyed most of the
overcrowded, squalid camp.
The blaze started just hours after the migration ministry said that 35
people had tested positive at the camp.
Citing anonymous police sources, Greek news agency ANA reported that the
fires had started after a revolt by people who were to be placed in
isolation, but there was no official confirmation.
A local town official said the perpetrators had “taken advantage of strong
winds” and deliberately set tents on fire.
“It was premeditated. The tents were empty,” Michalis Fratzeskos, deputy
mayor for civil protection, told state TV ERT.
Firemen said there were no known casualties so far, although a number of
people were suffering minor respiratory problems.
Smoke was still billowing out of the camp hours after the fire started late
on Tuesday, AFP TV footage showed.
Dozens of people were milling among charred containers, some of them
carrying away belongings, others snapping cellphone pictures.
– ‘There is no Moria’ –
“There is no Moria, it has been destroyed,” deputy regional governor Aris
Hatzikomninos told ERT, as additional riot police were hurriedly flown to the
island.
EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson on Wednesday said the bloc
would finance “the immediate transfer and accommodation on the mainland of
the camp’s remaining 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers.”
“The safety and shelter of all people in Moria is the priority,” Johansson
tweeted.
The Moria camp, which was built to hold fewer than 2,800 people, has been
routinely criticised by rights groups and the UN refugee agency for its lack
of sanitation and overcrowding.
Prostitution, sexual assault, disappearances of minors, drug trafficking
and fights have been documented in the camp, where dozens of people have been
stabbed, burnt to death in their tents or have committed suicide.
From January to the end of August, five people were stabbed in more than 15
attacks, according to camp officials.
Since becoming one of the main gateways into Europe for migrants and asylum
seekers in 2015, Greece has built dozens of detention centres where
overcrowding is common.
The government has for months been attempting to build a new camp on Lesbos
to replace Moria.
But locals have resisted the move, clashing with riot police earlier this
year to prevent construction from going ahead.
– Infection fears –
Norway on Wednesday offered to take in 50 Syrians from Moria — though
Greece has currently banned the camp’s former residents from leaving the
island.
An exception will be made for the 400 minors, a migration ministry source
told ANA.
“These are abominable images,” Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told
TV2 Nyhetskanalen.
Greek spokesman Petsas warned that authorities faced a “titanic” effort to
shelter asylum seekers rendered homeless by the blaze, as well track down and
isolate dozens of confirmed coronavirus infections among them.
Moria had already been placed in quarantine until September 15, with only
security personnel granted access after temperature tests.
“There are 35 positive cases and they need to be isolated… to prevent an
outbreak among the local population,” Petsas told ERT.
Hundreds of asylum seekers attempted to flee on foot towards the port town
of Mytilene during the night, but were blocked by police vehicles, while
others took shelter in the hills surrounding the camps.
Unable to pass, scores bedded down and slept on the ground.
Refugee support group Stand by Me Lesvos said on Twitter it had received
reports that Greek locals on the island had blocked fleeing asylum seekers
from heading into a nearby village.
A force of over 20 firefighters, 10 fire engines and a helicopter has been
deployed to the scene.
Firefighters also said they had been attacked by stone-throwing asylum
seekers whilst attempting to battle the blaze, and had asked for police
assistance.
– Months of lockdowns –
The camp had reported its first coronavirus case last Wednesday.
Migrant camps on the islands have endured months of lockdowns as a result
of the coronavirus pandemic, with access severely restricted.
But at Moria, the restrictions have been harder to enforce because of the
large number of asylum seekers sleeping outside the camp’s walls.
The government has in recent months moved thousands of refugees from Lesbos
and other islands to the mainland.
But many refugees have been unable to find lodgings and jobs after leaving
the camps, with housing and cash benefits recently scaled back by the
government.