Violence at Moria as migrant arrivals on Lesvos spike

Police on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos said on Saturday that 13 asylum seekers, aged between 14 and 32, had been arrested at the Moria refugee camp on charges of causing grievous bodily harm.

According to reports, the suspects, who were mostly Afghans, were involved in a series of violent physical altercations over religious differences on Friday, in which sharpened wooden and metal objects were used as weapons.

Seven people were reportedly injured. Moria has the capacity to host 3,500 people but is currently sheltering more than 5,500.

Authorities said that there has been a significant spike in arrivals over the last month and that the number of asylum seekers at the camp in May had stood at 4,500 people.

A total of number 1,048 asylum seekers arrived on Lesvos in June in 2018, significantly less that the 1,523 that landed on the island from June 1-29 this year.