"We are devastated to hear reports of people losing their lives and coming close to hypothermia due to what we view as avoidable exposure to the freezing conditions in South East Europe. We call on governments, large organizations and international agencies to reassess their bureaucratic procedures and spend money where it’s needed to prevent further loss of life," the aid organization's co-founder Josie Naughton was quoted as saying in the statement.
Help Refugees also criticized Greek authorities for forcing grassroots aid organizations out of the huge Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos, calling for an immediate rehousing of refugees exposed to continued cold weather.
European states were also slammed by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) earlier this week over failing to prepare migrant camps for the cold season.
Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing crisis-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty. The majority of these cross the Mediterranean Sea and arrive in the European Union using southern EU nations to transit to wealthier north European countries.
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