Thousands of migrants flee burning Greek campSeptember 20, 2016 - 10:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Up to 4,000 migrants were evacuated from the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos after a large fire destroyed tents and prefabricated homes, BBC News reports. No injuries have been reported, and some migrants have now been allowed to return to the camp. Police still investigate whether the fire was deliberate, but an aid worker says it started after a food dispute. There are some 5,600 refugees currently in Lesbos, according to the UN, but the island only has capacity for 3,600. The fire destroyed 30% of the camp, according to Aris Vlashopoulos, an aid worker with the Swiss charity SAO. "People are returning to the camp now as I can see. But the biggest number of the refugees are already on the streets, sleeping outside," he added. According to Greek state news agency ANA, a brawl started on Monday, September 19 after a rumour that refugees would be deported to Turkey en masse. Many on the island are afraid of being returned to Turkey or their home countries, correspondents say. The situation on Lesbos is exacerbated as many refugees land there and are held on the island until their asylum claim is fully processed. Those granted asylum are permitted to journey to the Greek mainland, while others are turned back. The procedure is part of the EU-Turkey deal brokered in March, in which the EU pledged to work towards visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to Europe's Schengen zone in exchange for Ankara's assistance in curbing migrants crossing to the Greek islands. Photo: Reuters Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Protest leader vows to achieve departure of Armenian authorities According to Archbishop Bagrat, there is only one solution to the situation in Armenia. Heads of Armenian, Ukrainian parliaments hold virtual talks Alen Simonyan and Ruslan Stefanchuk held talks via video conference on Tuesday, May 21. Pashinyan travels to Iran to pay tribute to Raisi, others Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has left for the Islamic Republic of Iran on a working visit. Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. |