ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s prime minister expressed shock Friday at the deaths of a woman and child in a fire that raged through an island refugee camp used for migrants facing deportation back to Turkey, while rights groups condemned the loss of life.
Alexis Tsipras said he was “shocked, as is the entire Greek nation, by the tragic event” in the Moria camp on Lesbos overnight. The aid agency International Rescue Committee described the deaths as “a damning indictment of the ineptitude of Eurpean leaders’ response to the refugee crisis.”
Police said a cooking gas canister sparked the fire, and that the victims were a young boy and an older woman. Another woman and a second child were severely injured and flown to Athens, where they were hospitalized in serious condition, while several others were less seriously hurt.
Migrants at the camp clashed with police as they were evacuated from the camp during the blaze, which was extinguished by firefighters.
“The Greek government is fighting a determined battle in difficult circumstances for the humanitarian management of the refugee issue, and will further intensify its efforts for security and quality of life in the shelters,” Tsipras said in a statement.