UPDATE A woman from Afghanistan and her child are the victims of the fire that broke out in a container in the refugee camp of Moria on the island of Lesvos on Sunday afternoon. State-run news agency amna reports that the body of the woman was transferred to the hospital in Mytilene with a private car, while it was the refugees who retrieved the body of the child (see also below).
The fire broke out in a container of the camp where the family was living.
At least 5 people were injured, others suffered from respiratory problems due to the thick smoke.
The reason for the fire is unknown, although according to officially unconfirmed reports, it was a defected lught bulb that exploded and caused the fire.
Moria residents clashed with police and firefighters. Tension was eased late in the evening.
There are reports that many refugees and migrants were seeking to spend the night outside the camp.
KTG reported earlier while the story was developing:
Pictures posted by former member of Medicines Sans Frontiers, Ihab Abassi, on Facebook.
The fire broke out at 04:45 p.m. in one container and soon extended in the hot spot. According to the Mayor of Lesvos seven containers have been burned.
Newspaper politika.lesvos that uploaded the video notes that “there is information about dead people after an uproar following the fire.”
According to latest information by newsit.gr, two people have died. The Mayor of Lesvos, Stratis Kytelis, also spoke of “two dead’, a woman and a baby. However, he could not officially confirm the report, when he spoke to Alpha TV at 7:00 p.m.
At 7:25, Alpha TV reported that there is officially confirmation about one dead. The burned body was transferred to the hospital of Lesvos. The body belongs to a woman. She has been identified as an Afghan national.
It is still unknown whether there were more people in the container that was burned down.
Three fire trucks with six firefighters rushed to the Moria hot spot.
According to Alpha TV, refugees and asylum seekers initially hindered the firefighters to enter the camp.
Ultimately, the firefighters were allowed to enter the camp and extinguished the blaze also with the assistance of aerial means.
Several people have reportedly suffered from respiratory problems and sought medical help at the health Center of the camp. According to ltets information the number of injured is 5.
Tension has not eased with refugees and migrants on one side to attack riot police with stones, sticks and other items and the police to have fired teargas.
“The night will be long, police forces need to be enhanced,” Mayor Kytelis stressed.
A C-130 aircraft has reportedly left Athens with two riot police squads on board as well the chief of Greek police and the deputy minister for Public Order.
According to state-run news agency amna, refugees and migrants are trying to occupy the detention center inside the camp.
The Fire Service hinds at arson as two fires broke out almost at the same time, the one inside the camp and one outside the Moria hot spot, some 400 meters away.
With a capacity of 3,000, the hot spot of Moria is currently hosting 12,000 refugees, migrants and asylum seekers who live in inhumane circumstances.
LATEST INFO: According to local media stonisi, the Moria residents recovered the body of a baby from the container that was burned down.
So far, the hospital and police have confirmed the death of one woman.
Reports about a second dead are not confirmed.
UPDATE: ON Monday, the Greek Health Ministry said that only one woman had died in the fire.
