Samos mayor warns island at breaking point after migrant camp fire

The mayor of East Samos has warned that a fire at its Vathy migrant reception and processing center earlier his week has brought the eastern Aegean island to breaking point as hundreds of people are having to sleep in the streets and public squares.

“The island has become destabilized,” Mayor Giorgos Stantzos told a morning talk show on Antenna TV on Thursday, days after a fire and a riot at the facility. “We are counting down for something bad to happen.”

Stantzos called on the government in Athens to speed up transfers to the Greek mainland in order to relieve pressure on the camp as repairs are carried out. He added that 6,000 migrants and refugees are having to rely on accommodation and resources designed for less than 700, while inflows from Turkey continue at a rapid pace.

“Samos’ residents are exhausted. They need measures immediately,” he said.