ATHENS: The northeastern Aegean island of Lesvos was declared on Wednesday a state of emergency for four days as the Greek government rushed to provide shelter to thousands of people, after Moria, the country’s largest refugee, migrant camp, was heavily damaged in a big fire.
“It seems that the blaze broke out on several fronts (late Tuesday and early Wednesday) as a result of the dismay of a few residents at Moria’s reception center over the necessary quarantine imposed, since 35 cases of COVID-19 were traced after 1,900 tests were carried out in recent days,” Alternate Minister of Migration and Asylum George Koumoutsakos told a press briefing in Athens.
The first confirmed infection of the novel coronavirus at Moria was diagnosed a week ago.
The fire swept throughout the overflowing camp which, according to government data, accommodated some 13,000 persons, well above its capacity for 2,757, sending panic-stricken people out on the streets or to the nearby mountains in the middle of the night, local officials said.
No injuries were reported, but Wednesday morning found Greek officials in a frenzy of meetings and telephone contacts with European partners to address a major humanitarian crisis, as Koumoutsakos stressed.
“I am deeply saddened by yesterday’s events in Moria. I fully understand the difficult conditions at the camp there. However, there can be no alibi for the violent reactions to strict health protocols and checks due to COVID-19. Especially, when we are talking about reactions to the extent we witnessed last night. –Agencies
