Greek authorities transport 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers to land

Thousands of migrants sleep in the open air after the burning of the Lesbos camp

  • Sadness appears in the faces of a couple who slept on the side of the road.

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  • Thousands of migrants have been forced to flee without a place to go.

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  • The children's suffering increased as a result of the additional displacement after their camp fire.

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Thousands of immigrants slept in the open on the Greek island of Lesbos after the fire destroyed their makeshift camp, turning it into rubble and forcing them to flee without a place to seek refuge.

Greek authorities transported more than 400 unaccompanied children and adolescents to the mainland in the early hours of yesterday morning, on board three charter flights.

Families have slept on roadsides, in supermarket car garages, and in fields across the island, which were at the forefront of the migrant influx into Europe in 2015 and 2016.

Moria camp was home to about 12,500 migrants.

The massive fire that erupted last Tuesday evening forced thousands to flee, turning the camp, known for its poor living conditions, into piles of burning steel and melted plastic tents.

A second fire broke out on Wednesday evening, destroying what was left of the camp.

Police reinforcements were sent to prevent the migrants from reaching the main town of Mytilene, and to limit their presence to fields and roadsides.

A barefoot girl, Valencia, told a Reuters reporter that she was hungry and asked for a biscuit.

"Our house was burned, my shoes burned," said Valencia, an eight-year-old who came from the Congo. "We have no food or water."

She, her mother, Natzi Malala, 30, and her baby brother slept by the side of the road.

The Immigration Ministry said it would take "all necessary steps" to ensure shelter for families and groups in need of care, but this is expected to encounter stiff resistance from residents.

The authorities were already at odds with residents over plans to replace "Moria" with a closed reception center, as Lesbos residents feared that this would lead to the permanent survival of thousands of asylum seekers.

North Aegean Governor Costas Motzores said the municipalities are at odds over how to handle the situation.

"No decision has been taken," he added in an interview with "Reuters".

The issue has not been resolved yet ».

The authorities are investigating whether the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening was deliberate, after tests for the detection of the new Corona virus led to the isolation of 35 refugees.

Families have slept on roadsides, in garages, and in fields across the island that were at the forefront of the migrant influx crisis to Europe in 2015 and 2016.

• The Ministry of Immigration said it would take "all necessary steps" to ensure that families and groups in need of care were provided with shelter, but this is expected to encounter severe resistance from the population.

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