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Updated September 17th, 2020 at 12:08 IST

Germany to take 1500 refugees from Greek islands, 150 from burnt Moria camps

Germany is planning to shelter as many as 1,500 refugees from Greek islands in addition to 150 unaccompanied minors from the burnt Moria camp, news agency said.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Germany to take 1500 refugees from Greek islands, 150 from burnt Moria camps
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Germany is planning to shelter as many as 1,500 refugees from the Greek islands in addition to 150 unaccompanied minors from the burnt Moria camp, German news agency DPA reported on September 15. The responsibility-sharing move comes after Moria camps, which housed thousands of refugees, were charred by flames last week. At least 12,000 migrants have been rendered homeless in the aftermath.

As per a German news agency, Merkel is in talks with her junior partners. There is an enormous pressure on the Markel government to absorb refugees following the annihilation of camps. Both, German Chancellor Angela Markel and Interior Minister Hors Seehofer have agreed on a plan to take in migrants who have secured refugee status. The plan is designed to give priority to families with children.

'Other refugees might set fire to camps' 

However,  Athens has opposed the undertaking of more asylum seekers from Moria, citing that the decision might incite other refugees to set fire to their camps in a hope of getting absorbed by Germany, Bild daily reported. n the night of September 9, a fire broke out at the overcrowded Moria refugee camp, located on the island of Lesbos, Greece which houses refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and many other war-prone nations. Terming it as a difficult night, the government has declared a state of emergency in the region.

The fires broke out overnight, police and fire officials on the island told The Associated Press, adding the cause of the blazes, as well as the full extent of the damage, remained unclear. Flames gutted majority of the camp and surrounding hillside of olive groves.  Alongside, physical damages, the fire also broke out protests involving migrants, firefighters and refugees.

Read: Greece: 151 Migrants Rescued From Yacht In Gale Force Winds

Read: Flurry Of Tests As COVID Hits Greece's Biggest Migrant Camp

In 2015, Lesbos became the continent's busiest crossing point for illegal migration witnessing a massive westward movement of refugees fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and travelling through Turkey. After that wave of migration, Greek authorities set up camps on Lesbos and four other islands, helped with European Union funding, and more recently also set up a network of camps on the mainland.

Read: Greece: Massive Fire Breaks Out In Overcrowded Refugee Camp, Emergency Declared

Read: Greece: Fire Sweeps Through Refugee Camp On Virus Lockdown

Image credits: AP

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Published September 17th, 2020 at 12:07 IST

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