Mother and son in critical condition from Moria migrant camp fire
A 24-year-old woman and her toddler son are in critical condition in Athens hospital after suffering extensive burns in a deadly blaze at the Moria migrant processing center on the Aegean island of Lesvos, authorities confirmed on Friday.
According to official reports, an elderly woman and her young grandson who died in the blaze that started in their tent while the woman was cooking are related to the casualties at the capital's KAT Hospital. There was some confusion regarding the exact ages of the victims, with some reports putting them at 60 and 5, and others at 66 and 6.
The 24-year-old mother and her 2-year-old son were injured when the fire spread to their tent, which was right next door. The family is reported to be Kurds from Iraq who have been at Moria for four months as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed.
Twenty large tents and over 100 smaller ones were destroyed in the blaze, as well as by fires started by migrants protesting living conditions at the overcrowded camp in reaction to the gas cooker explosion in the family tent that started the conflagration.
Police have arrested 15 Afghan men for starting the smaller fires and clashing with riot police dispatched to the scene.
Between eight and 10 camp residents are also being treated at the Lesvos general hospital for burns and smoke inhalation.
