NEWS

PM expresses ‘shock’ over deaths in migrant camp blaze

PM expresses ‘shock’ over deaths in migrant camp blaze

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday extended his condolences to the family of an elderly woman and a child who died in an overnight fire at the Moria migrant processing center on Lesvos, saying he was “shocked” by the incident.

“I am shocked, as is the entire Greek nation, over the tragic events at Moria,” Tsipras, who is on tour in northern Greece, said after being briefed on the incident.

A 60-year-old woman and her 5-year-old grandchild, both Kurds from Iraq, died in a blaze that started in their tent late on Thursday, possibly from a cooking gas canister.

A young woman and another child, possibly relations of the two victims, were also airlifted to Athens after suffering extensive burns in the blaze that swept through the overcrowded camp.

“The Greek government is putting up a determined fight under difficult conditions to manage the refugee crisis in a humanitarian manner and will be extending its efforts even further to ensure safety and a good quality of life at reception centers,” Tsipras said.

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