LESBOS ISLAND, (Greece): Thousands of asylum seekers were left homeless on Wednesday after a fire gutted Greece's largest migrant camp on Lesbos, plunging the island into crisis and provoking an outpouring of sympathy from around Europe and calls for reform of the refugee system.
The blaze, which began hours after 35 people tested positive for coronavirus at the Moria camp, sent thousands fleeing for safety into surrounding olive groves - but nobody was seriously hurt.
While European countries from Germany to Norway - along with EU chiefs - have responded with offers of help and sympathy, Greek officials have sought to blame migrants for the fire.
Stopping short of alleging arson, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the blaze was down to a "violent reaction" in the camp to virus testing, and migration minister Notis Mitarachi said asylum seekers started the fire because of quarantine measures imposed after the positive tests.
Mitarachi said that of 3,500 migrants made homeless, the most vulnerable will spend Wednesday night on a ferry at a nearby port, while two Greek navy vessels would provide more places to sleep on Thursday.
Most of the migrants were sitting on the roadside between the camp and the port of Mytilene late on Wednesday, forming long queues without knowing where they were going. "What are we going to do now? Where can we go?" said Mahmout, an Afghan, as his compatriot Aisha searched for two of her children. "Two of my children are there, but I don't know where the others are," she said.
Another fire broke out in part of the camp that was not badly damaged late on Wednesday, with fleeing migrants shouting "Moria finished".
Officials have declared a four-month emergency and flown in riot police after reports emerged of security forces blocking migrants from fleeing the fire to Mytilene.
Since becoming one of the main gateways into Europe for migrants and asylum seekers in 2015, Greece has built dozens of detention centres on its islands, but people often face long waits in the camps and overcrowding is common.
The fire at the camp - which houses more than 12,000 people despite being designed for just 2,800 - immediately raised questions about Europe's asylum system, with Germany leading the way in calling for an overhaul.