(Bloomberg) -- Greece's biggest refugee camp was evacuated after a fire broke out early Wednesday, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency on the island of Lesvos where the facility is located.
The blaze started at the Moria camp, which hosts around 12,700 refugees, following protests by asylum seekers, said Notis Mitarakis, Greece's migration minister. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with cabinet ministers in Athens to decide on measures needed to deal with the situation, according to his office.
“The situation in Moria can't continue because it's an issue at the same time of public health, humanism and national security,” Mitsotakis said in a televised statement. The priority remains the health and safety of locals and refugees, he said.
Occupants of Moria will be housed in suitable tents, special care will be provided to those who have tested positive for the coroanvirus, and the refugees will be confined to the island, Mitsotakis said. The first Covid-19 case in the camp was detected last week and 35 refugees have since tested positive.
Around 1,000 out of 3,500 asylum seekers in Moria will be transfered to a ship on Wednesday night and two more vessels will arrive to host the rest. The other refugees will stay in tents inside the camp and in areas to be determined by local authorities.
The camp's administration building has been destroyed, Mitarakis said, adding that so far “no injuries, casualties or missing persons have been reported.”
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