HUGE FIRE GUTS GREECE’S INFAMOUS MORIA REFUGEE CAMP

Ahuge fire has almost completely destroyed the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, home to thousands of migrants living in already dire conditions, dialing up the pressure on European countries to respond to the crisis.

Fire safety officials reported the neartotal destruction of the site to the ERT state broadcaster on Wednesday.

No deaths have been reported, and the overnight blaze had been brought largely under control by early morning, according to the government in Athens. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had called an emergency meeting in Athens with his chief of staff, the minister for migration and the chief of Greek intelligence service EYP, government spokesperson Stelios Petsas told state broadcaster ERT.

The Moria camp had been almost completely ablaze as strong winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour fanned the flames, local media reported.

Authorities had already evacuated most of the camp residents in the night.

Petsas said that the cause of the fire was suspected to be arson.

He also said that camp residents had thrown stones at firefighters and tried to prevent them from putting the fires out, adding that Athens has sent additional riot police units to the island.

Giorgos Koumoutsakos, the Greek deputy minister of migration, said that roughly 400 unaccompanied minors were brought to safety and will be taken to the mainland soon.

DPA, 09TH SEPTEMBER, 2020