LESBOS (GREECE) – Thousands of migrants were trying to escape from fires on Wednesday that struck an overcrowded camp under coronavirus lockdown on Greece’s island of Lesbos.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called ministers for an emergency meeting. There has not been any immediate reports of casualties.
The fire broke out at Moria camp just after midnight Tuesday, fire officials said.
The European Union was ready to assist Greece “in these difficult times”, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said in a tweet after a conversation with Mitsotakis.
The cause of the blaze is not immediately clear even as investigations were going on whether there was arson involved.
Migration Ministry official Manos Logothetis told the state-run Athens News Agency that Moria was “probably totally destroyed”.
Panagiotis Deligiannis, a witness from Moria, said, “The fire is still raging, the camp has been evacuated. All these people are on the national road towards (the town of) Mytilini.”
“There are police out who are not letting them through. These people are sleeping left and right in the fields.”
Mytilini mayor Stratis Kytelis said in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, migrants would have to be moved or asked to remain on ships.
“The situation was out of control,” policeman Argyris Syvris told Open TV, adding that they had to release at least 200 persons who were to be sent back to their countries.
Conditions at the Moria facility, housing over 12,000 people, have been criticised by aid groups over implemening Covid-19 measures.