MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Monday, an alleged arson at the Moria reception center forced up to 4,400 people to flee the camp amid protests against overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions at the facilities.
"Based on initial reports, the fire [at the reception site on Lesbos] did not cause any casualties but at least 30 people are reported to have light injuries and have been taken to hospital. Over 50 UNHCR Refugee Housing Units, accommodating some 800 people, were completely destroyed," Spindler said during a press briefing.
According to the UNHCR, the cause of the fire has not been ruled an arson yet, but confirmed the critical security situation at Greek reception centers due to overstretching of capacities for hosting refugees and migrants.
The European Union is currently struggling to manage a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The EU border agency Frontex recorded more than 1.8 million illegal border crossings into the bloc in 2015. Greece is the main transit route for refugees coming across the Aegean Sea from Turkey.
