One of Greece’s main migrant camps on the island of Lesbos on Monday suffered extensive damage in a fire apparently set on objective, with thousands forced to flee to safety, police said.
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At least nine people were arrested on accusations of damaging property and causing unrest and were expected to appear before a prosecutor, a police official in Athens said.
“Last night’s fires. symbolise the shortcomings of the European response to the refugee crisis”, said Panos Navrozidis, the International Rescue Committee’s Greece director.
About 5650 migrants and refugees are being housed on Lesbos in facilities equipped for 3500 people.
The camp is one of the largest in Greece, housing some 5,600 migrants and refugees, though it has the capacity for just 3,600, reports the BBC.
Earlier on Monday, tensions rose in Moria owing to a rumour that refugees were about to be deported en masse to Turkey, state agency ANA reported.
The merchant marine ministry said the migrants were picked up by a Turkish-flagged cargo ship off the island of Zakynthos, which is popular with British holidaymakers.
Families with young children hastily packed up their belongings and fled into the nearby fields as the fire raged after nightfall. Many were later given shelter a volunteer-run camps.
But a strong police presence at the camp had initially calmed tempers, the officer said.
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the condition of Greek camps for migrants and refugees, pointing to overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.
More than 5,400 refugees and migrants are now located on Lesbos, which is the main destination for over a million people who have travelled to the eastern islands of Greece from Turkey since the start of 2015. But the agreement has been fraught with delays.
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks during a meeting on addressing large movements of refugees in the Trusteeship Council Chamber in NY on September 19, 2016. “Holding thousands of vulnerable people on Lesbos in appalling conditions with no knowledge of their fate inevitably creates an incendiary atmosphere of fear and despondency”.
