A chimney burns makeshift tents in the Moria refugee camp on the northeast Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece (Panagiotis Balaskas / AP)
Thousands of migrants fled a camp under the Covid-19 blockade after fires devastated much of the site on the Greek island of Lesbos, the government said.
Some 12,500 more people lived in and around Moria camp, where further restrictions were imposed during the following week after a Somali resident tested positive for coronavirus.
“The chimney spread in and out of the field and destroyed it . . . There are more than 12,000 migrants being held by the police on a highway,” said Stratos Kytelis, mayor of the city. main island, Mylinene, on Skai personal radio.
“It is a very complicated scenario because some of those who are outdoors will come with other people who are HIV positive (for the coronavirus). “
It was not reported.
The chimney spread in and out of the camp and destroyed it.
The fires broke out overnight, island police and firefighters told The Associated Press, adding that the cause of the fires is unclear.
They did not verify local reports that the fires were intentionally protesting the closure measures, but said firefighters had “met resistance” from some citizens of the camp.
Health officials said Tuesday that 35 other people had so far been shown to be inflamed with the virus after a primary control unit was ordered at the overcrowded facility.
Refugees and migrants run as a fireplace burns in the Moria refugee camp (Panagiotis Balaskas / AP)
Early Wednesday morning, police were deployed along the road connecting the camp to Mytilene, some 3 miles to the south.
Lesbos was the busiest crossing point in Europe in 2015-16 for illegal migration, a large movement of refugees westward, many of whom fled the war in Syria and Iraq and passed through Turkey.
Lesbos firefighters were also fighting two wildfires in the west of the island.