Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Refugee crisis: Woman and child killed in fire at migrant detention camp on Greek island of Lesbos

Woman and young boy die in blaze started by cooking gas cannister 

Lizzie Dearden
Thursday 24 November 2016 22:09 EST
Comments
(AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A young boy and a woman have been killed by a fire at a refugee detention centre on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Police said the two victims died after a blaze started by a cooking gas cannister spread at the Moria camp, where migrants are being held while facing deportation back to Turkey.

Two others were hospitalised, including another child, with extensive burns, an officer told the Associated Press.

The fire was put out late on Thursday night but the extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Asylum seekers clashed with police during the evacuation, which follows months of unrest over processing delays and dire conditions at the camp.

Lesbos is one of several Greek islands holding thousands of migrants - far over their capacity - waiting for decisions on their asylum applications after crossing the Aegean Sea.

The controversial EU-Turkey deal has seen all those arriving since March detained under the threat of deportation, causing the main route to Europe to shift to the Central Mediterranean Sea.

Tensions are running high among migrants unable to continue their journeys to Western Europe, with 61,000 people trapped in Greece by a series of border closures through the Balkans.

There have also been clashes with locals on some islands, with a camp on Chios coming under attack by a far-right mob armed with Molotov cocktails last week.

Britain and several other European nations have refused to resettle migrants arriving in Italy and Greece according to quotas.

2016 is now the deadliest year on record for refugees trying to reach Europe, with almost 4,700 people drowning or suffocating on overcrowded boats.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in