Bulldozers move in to Idomeni camp as migrants leave

Record ID: 102167

  • Title: Bulldozers move in to Idomeni camp as migrants leave
  • Date: 24th May 2016
  • Summary: GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA (MAY 24, 2016) (REUTERS) BARBED WIRE FENCE OF BORDER, BUSES LINED UP IN IDOMENI CAMP TO TAKE AWAY MIGRANTS (AS SEEN FROM MACEDONIAN SIDE OF BORDER) BUSES PARKED, MIGRANTS WAITING OUTSIDE BUSES TO BOARD MIGRANTS STANDING AROUND TENTS NEAR PARKED BUS BULLDOZER KNOCKING DOWN TENTS MIGRANTS STANDING IN FRONT OF DEPARTING BUS TALKING WITH POLICE BUS LEAVING BUSES DRIVING IDOMENI SEEN THROUGH BARBED WIRE FENCE BARBED WIRE WORKERS ERECTING A BARBED WIRE FENCE AROUND THE RAILWAY TRACKS IN CAMP VARIOUS OF WORKER PUTTING POLE INTO PLACE DURING BUILDING OF FENCE AROUND RAILWAY TRACKS
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2016 14:34
  • Keywords: refugees migrants European Union border Macedonia Greece asylum Idomeni camp
  • Location: GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA/ IDOMENI, GREECE
  • City: GEVGELIJA, MACEDONIA/ IDOMENI, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0024J63PZB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Authorities began bulldozing tents in a makeshift camp on the Greek border on Tuesday (May 24) as an operation to evacuate the camp continued.
    Bulldozers were seen clearing away domestic camping tents left in haphazard rows on the grassy field of the frontier after several buses full of migrants drove away from the camp, destined for organised government reception centres.
    Greece's Public Order Ministry said by 1530 local time (1230 GMT) 1,529 migrants had left the camp, estimated to have held 8,200 people at last tally.
    At one point more than 12,000 lived there after several Balkan countries shut their borders in February, barring migrants and refugees from central and northern Europe.
    The evacuation took place under the watchful eye of some 1,500 mainly riot police officers, but government officials said they did not intend to use force to remove the migrants, and the operation was expected to last days.
    Greek authorities said they planned to move individuals gradually to state-supervised facilities further south which currently have capacity of about 5,000 people.
    Workers started also to erect a barbed wire fence around the train tracks that run through the makeshift camp. Migrants have been blocking the tracks for 66 days in protest at not being allowed to cross the closed border with Macedonia.
    A police official said about 1,000 people were blocking the sole railway tracks linking Greece and Macedonia, forcing trains to divert through Bulgaria to the east. Some goods wagons have been stranded on the tracks for weeks, provoking complaints from business.
    The government has built some 45 organised camps in the country and had appealed to the migrants several times to move as conditions deteriorated at Idomeni.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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