Calais migrants begin to leave "Jungle", first bus departs

Record ID: 83900

  • Title: Calais migrants begin to leave "Jungle", first bus departs
  • Date: 24th October 2016
  • Summary: CALAIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) HANGAR WHERE MIGRANTS ARE REGISTERED VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS QUEUING VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS BEING REGISTERED MIGRANTS QUEUING VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS BEING GIVEN BRACELETS TO INDICATE WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN MIGRANTS LEAVING TENT POLICEMEN VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS REGISTERING VARIOUS OF HANGAR VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WALKING TOWARDS CAR PARK WHERE BUSES LEAVE VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS BOARDING BUS VARIOUS OF REGIONAL PREFECT, FABIENNE BUCCO, SUPERVISING DEPARTURE OF FIRST BUS (SOUNDBITE) (French) REGIONAL PREFECT, FABIENNE BUCCO, SAYING: "It's going well. We knew this morning that there would be a lot of people, and that's what's happening there were several hundred migrants waiting for the hangar to open. We opened at the time we had planned, everything happened calmly, there was no pushing, the minors arrived well. We had a particular concern for the minors, paid them particular attention, but it went well." BUS LEAVING (SOUNDBITE) (French) REGIONAL PREFECT, FABIENNE BUCCO, SAYING: "We have the capacity for between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Well 3,000... There are 60 buses and they can take 3,000 people but we know there are some buses that won't leave with 50 people on board because there are welcome centres with room for only 30, so we'll be at around 2,500 people who can leave today." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS QUEUING TO GET INTO HANGAR
  • Embargoed: 8th November 2016 08:52
  • Keywords: Calais France migrants refugees welcome centre camp Jungle demolition evacuation Fabienne Buccio
  • Location: CALAIS, FRANCE
  • City: CALAIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00155D5CNB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Several hundred migrants were among the first to leave Calais's "Jungle" camp on special buses to transport them to welcome centres across France on Monday (October 24).
    In a giant hangar rented by the local authorities a few hundred metres from the slum where many have lived for months, they began to be registered from 8 a.m. (0600 GMT).
    The Socialist government says it is closing the camp, home to 6,500 migrants fleeing war and poverty, on humanitarian grounds. It plans to relocate them to 450 centres across France.
    The migrants were given a choice of two French regions and handed a corresponding bracelet before loading their bags onto buses parked outside.
    60 buses are ready on Monday to take the first wave of migrants before the camp is torn down by the authorities later in the week.
    Families, adults, minors and vulnerable people including single women were registered separately.
    Regional prefect Fabienne Bucco who oversaw the first departures said everything was going according to plan.
    "It's going well. We knew this morning that there would be a lot of people, and that's what's happening there were several hundred migrants waiting for the hangar to open. We opened at the time we had planned, everything happened calmly, there was no pushing," she told Reuters.
    "There are 60 buses and they can take 3,000 people but we know there are some buses that won't leave with 50 people on board because there are welcome centres with room for only 30, so we'll be at around 2,500 people who can leave today," she said.
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