Thousands of asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos languished on roadsides on Thursday, homeless and hungry after the country’s largest camp burned down, with local officials stonewalling government efforts to create new temporary shelters.
Desperate families, many with young children, spent a second night out in the open, many without tents or even basic bedding. “We’ve lost everything, we were abandoned, without food, water or medicine,” said Fatma Al-Hani, a Syrian woman who barely had time to grab her identity papers before the flames engulfed the camp.
Some of the bleary-eyed homeless had to trek to the nearest villages for water and other supplies, AFP TV footage showed.
The fire on Tuesday at Moria camp, Greece’s most notorious migrant facility, sent thousands fleeing for safety.
Gaelle Koukanee, a 21-year-old pregnant Congolese refugee, said the police had fired tear gas to extinguish the fire. “We have children, old people, disabled among us. Why this lack of humanity,” she asked, seeking shelter from the beating sun under an olive tree.
Germany and France on Thursday agreed on an initiative for EU states to share out some 400 minors from the camp, a source close to the talks told AFP.
The minors were flown out of the island overnight and rehoused in “safe” facilities in northern Greece.
But the Greek government had bigger problems close at hand, with local authorities resisting plans to temporarily set up campsites for the homeless.
“We don’t want another camp, and we will oppose any construction work. We’ve faced this situation for five years, it’s time for others to bear this burden,” Vangelis Violatzis, a municipal leader, said.