WORLD
500 refugees evacuated from Bulgaria’s Harmanli centre because of fire
Baku, February 1 AZERTAC
Five hundred refugees were evacuated from Bulgaria’s Harmanli refugee centre because of a fire, Bulgarian National Radio said, according to Sophia Globe.
Investigators were inspecting the premises ahead of repairs. Only two of the rooms at the centre were not fit for habitation. The rest would be cleaned so that those who had been evacuated could return to them.
Bulgaria’s Harmanli refugee centre was the scene of an uprising in November 2016 over poor conditions and overcrowding.
Prosecutors subsequently laid criminal charges against a number of people, including citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq, in connection with arson and vandalism during the riots. Bulgarian authorities also acted to move some of the residents of the centre elsewhere.