Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV
  • World
  • Mid-East
  • Europe
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Africa
  • Syrian Crisis
  • Islamophobia

Humanitarian disaster as Greece's main migrant camp wiped out by fire

by DAILY SABAH WITH AGENCIES

ISTANBUL Sep 09, 2020 - 8:13 am GMT+3
A boy with two water cans sits next to destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp, Lesbos, Sept. 9, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)
A boy with two water cans sits next to destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp, Lesbos, Sept. 9, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)
by DAILY SABAH WITH AGENCIES Sep 09, 2020 8:13 am

The Moria refugee camp, home to more than 12,000 asylum-seekers, has been completely destroyed by fire, leaving thousands of people homeless in devastating humanitarian conditions

RECOMMENDED
Debris hangs from a residential building heavily damaged in a Russian bombing earlier in the war in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (AP File Photo)

14 killed in Ukrainian strike on hospital, Russia says

RUSSIAN-INVASION-OF-UKRAINE

A huge fire has almost completely destroyed Europe's largest migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, revealing how desperate the situation in Greece’s refugee camps is. Thousands of refugees are already living in fear of a COVID-19 outbreak, which would be devastating in such overcrowded conditions, and now their accommodation has been made even more precarious by the devastating fire. It is not clear where people should be housed as the fire has left thousands homeless.

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. Some migrants wanted to leave the camp as infections increased, while others who had been infected and their contact persons had refused to be put in isolation, Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) reported.

Videos on social media painted a picture of devastation, with people seen wandering around the camp looking frightened, while others sang "Bye Bye, Moria!" Greek media reported that many residents had fled the burning camp to nearby forests and hills, while others set off toward the island's main town of Mytilene.

The Moria camp, which was built to hold fewer than 2,800 people, has been routinely criticized by rights groups and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its lack of sanitation and overcrowding. Since becoming one of the main gateways into Europe for migrants and asylum-seekers in 2015, Greece has built dozens of detention centers where overcrowding is common. The government, helped with European Union funding, 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.

Failure of EU

The devastating fire and the humanitarian disaster in Moria also dialed up the pressure on European countries over how to respond to the yearslong migrant crisis. Since taking in more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in 2015, Europe has stepped up border controls but still falls short on common migration and asylum policies. Many European countries have tried to keep millions of refugees and migrants out of their borders, while Greek authorities have continued to block refugees from reaching Europe.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on EU countries to support Greece following a devastating fire at the Moria refugee camp by taking in migrants. "What happened in Moria is a humanitarian disaster," Maas wrote on Twitter. "Together with the European Commission and other EU member states who are willing to help, we must decide as quickly as possible how we can support Greece," he added. "This includes distributing refugees among willing states in the EU," said Maas, whose country currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said her thoughts and sympathies were with the people of Lesbos, especially with migrants and staff based at the Moria camp. The EU's senior migration official tweeted that she was in contact with Greek authorities and had offered to finance the transfer and accommodation of 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers who remained at the camp to the Greek mainland.

Norway's government has announced that the country will take in 50 people from the camp. "We have activated the process," Prime Minister Erna Solberg said, adding that the focus would be on families with children.

EU Oxfam spokesperson Florian Oel told German news agency (DPA) that, "This tragedy could have been prevented if Greece and all other EU governments would not have turned their backs on people seeking safety in Europe." "The announced transfer of all unaccompanied children in Moria to the Greek mainland is a first important step. EU governments must now support Greece in moving all people seeking asylum from all island refugee camps (to) the mainland as well as to other safe places across Europe," he added.

RECOMMENDED
Debris hangs from a residential building heavily damaged in a Russian bombing earlier in the war in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (AP File Photo)

14 killed in Ukrainian strike on hospital, Russia says

RUSSIAN-INVASION-OF-UKRAINE
  • shortlink copied
  • Last Update: Sep 09, 2020 4:53 pm
    RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    migrant crisis greece covid-19 outbreak moria refugee camp lesbos european union germany oxfam norway united nations refugee agency
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ early diplomatic maneuvering occurred in the broader context of the nations’ strategic interests and should not be confused with unequivocal support for Russia. (Shutterstock Photo)

    Gulf states changing the face of Ukraine war

    gulf-states
    Leader of the far-right Danish political party Stram Kurs, Rasmus Paludan, stands outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. (AP Photo)

    Far-right politician Paludan to burn Quran in Denmark

    ISLAMOPHOBIA

    7 killed in armed attack on synagogue in East Jerusalem

    ISRAEL

    US tells Türkiye, Sweden, Finland to solve issues among themselves

    TÜRKIYE-US-RELATIONS
    No Image
    Majestic falcon training in Liwa desert
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021