Cold snap makes life even more miserable for refugees

Freezing temperatures, snow, rain and gale-force winds have made life even more difficult for tens of thousands of migrants and refugees scattered at camps across the country.

As in most of northern Greece, migrants staying in tents at the Petra camp on Mount Olympus woke up under a blanket of thick snow on Wednesday morning, prompting the Municipality of Katerini to move 240 people – among them some 80 infants and children – to more suitable temporary facilities.

On the island of Chios gale-force winds tore down dozens of tents and left some 200 migrants scrambling in deep mud outside the camp at Souda, where dozens of shelters were destroyed in a combination of firebomb attacks and riots last month.

Aid workers called on the government to take action to improve facilities and the quality of the shelters provided, saying that the current conditions are putting people's lives at risk.