Migrant ‘Jungle’ emptied

French authorities declared the Calais migrant camp known as “The Jungle” empty on Wednesday, after fires set by departing migrants accelerated plans to evacuate the slum.

Officials announced the destruction of the camp, where thousands fleeing war and poverty have lived in squalor as they waited for a chance to sneak across the English Channel into Britain. Migrants are being moved to reception centers around France where they can seek asylum.

“There are no more migrants in the camp,” said Fabienne Buccio, a local official. “Our mission has been fulfilled.”

Migrants have flocked to the Calais region for decades, but the camp, supported by aid groups, had grown as Europe’s migrant crisis expanded.

As the reality of the mass evacuation took hold, fearful migrants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria and Pakistan braced for a new reality. “This Jungle is no good,” said Muhammad Afridi, 20, a migrant from Pakistan. “We go to a new Jungle.”