Refugees relocated after camp blaze

Refugees move to new camp - 28th September 2020

Police on the Greek island of Lesbos are finally moving refugees to a new camp. The refugee camp where they lived burned down last week.

Many refugees come to Europe because it is unsafe in their own countries. They often arrive on Greek islands, where they are kept in refugee camps. Last week, three fires started in Moria refugee camp on Lesbos. The fires completely destroyed the camp.

The refugees tried to carry their things to a nearby town, but police closed the roads. Families had to sleep on roads and in car parks for over a week. They had very little food or water.

Many refugees don't want to stay on the island. The camps are very crowded and are a danger to people's health. Moria camp was built for three thousand refugees but over twelve thousand people lived there.

There are large numbers of refugees in Greece and Italy. The Greek and Italian governments have asked other European countries for help. The German government has agreed to take over 1,500 refugees from 408 families. They have also agreed to accept over 100 children who don’t have parents.

No other country has agreed to take people in large numbers. Many European Union countries don't like the idea of taking refugees. The EU will focus on this issue at meetings later this month.