September 30, 2019 — The IRC is deeply saddened by the death of a woman after a fire broke out in Moria Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) last night.
At least three people, including two children, have lost their lives in Moria in the last month in three separate incidents. The latest comes in the wake of the IRC’s call to urge governments to address the alarming levels of overcrowding and appalling living conditions in reception centres across Greece. These cannot be called accidents anymore; on the contrary, it seems that deaths in reception centres are foretold.
The conditions in the reception centre are worse than ever with almost 13,000 people, according to the official government website, crammed in the space for just 3,000. Services are stretched beyond their limits: limited access to water, food and sanitation facilities, precarious living conditions at the mercy of the weather and inadequate access to health care make living in the camp dangerous. The implications for the living conditions of people living in reception centres have been repeatedly flagged.
The IRC reiterates its call for durable solutions through European solidarity and political will to protect those in need. A system that safeguards human rights and dignity is needed.
Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, Greece Director for the International Rescue Committee said:
‘It seems that we constantly bracing ourselves for a new tragedy. Tents erected one next to the other, many in areas far from toilets, a lack of showers and running water, people cooking in open fires, insufficient number of doctors for 13,000 people, many of whom suffer from serious health and mental health issues. Our psychologists working on the ground on Lesvos and Chios are merely chipping away at an iceberg.
We are calling on Greek and EU leaders to immediately evacuate all vulnerable people, especially unaccompanied and accompanied children from the islands to safe and appropriate accommodation on mainland Greece and other EU member states. We cannot accept the deaths of more people in a place they thought they had finally found safety.’