A fire in Samos leads to an old refugee camp being evacuated earlier than planned. There is speculation in the Greek media.
In the old refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos, a fire broke out late on Sunday evening for a previously unknown cause. According to media reports, the fire was brought under control during the night, and no one was injured.
Just last Saturday, a new EU-funded refugee camp with a capacity of 3000 places was opened on the island. There are currently around 400 migrants living in the old camp who are to be transferred to the new facility this week. This process should now take place faster because of the fire. There is speculation in the Greek media that the fire may have been started by islanders to help clear the old camp. This has not yet been confirmed.
In the old camp in Vathy, more than 7,500 migrants had lived in extremely poor conditions last year – there was only room for around 700 people. Since then, the Greek government has had most of the asylum seekers transferred from refugee islands such as Samos, Lesbos and Chios to the mainland.
The new camp is controversial and has been criticized by aid organizations. According to the Greek Ministry of Migration, it offers decent living conditions – however, migrants are only allowed to leave the camp during the day after prior notification. Aid organizations therefore refer to it as a prison – among other things because it was built far from any town.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
