Greece sees end to Lesbos migrant crisis within a week

A migrant holds her baby as she runs to avoid a small fire in a field near Mytilene town, on the northeastern island of Lesbos. Angry migrants left homeless by a blaze at Europe's largest refugee centre demanded to leave the Greek island of Lesbos as authorities opened up new tent shelters and European leaders faced growing calls to take in more of the displaced.

The plight of the stranded families has prompted other European countries to offer to take in hundreds of asylum-seekers, particularly unaccompanied youngsters. Above, a migrant woman and children react after police threw tear gas during clashes near the city Mytilene.

Homeless migrants and refugees fight for water bottles from a distribution truck. Greek riot police fired tear gas at protesting asylum seekers on Lesbos island as tensions simmered following the catastrophic fire that ripped through Europe's largest migrant camp this week.

Thousands of people have since camped out on a stretch of highway near Moria under police guard following more protests against the Greek government refusing to allow the homeless migrants to leave Lesbos for the Greek mainland.

A migrant boy reacts after police threw tear gas during clashes near the city Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Refugees and migrants wait for food distribution by Starfish and EuroRelief organisations near Panagioúda. Greek authorities say some 12,000 migrants and asylum-seekers left without shelter after fires gutted an overcrowded refugee camp on the island of Lesbos will be moved to a new army-built tent city "in the coming days."

Burnt camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos, a few days after a fire destroyed the Moria refugee camp. Round-the-clock efforts to find temporary shelter for over 11,000 people including thousands of children were still inadequate, rights groups said as local authorities continued to oppose camp reconstruction plans.

The combination of coronavirus with the migration issue makes for an "explosive mix" Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a speech in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

A woman reacts as a girl hugs her during minor clashes between riot police and migrants. Thousands of asylum-seekers spent a fourth night sleeping in the open on the Greek island of Lesbos, after successive fires destroyed the notoriously overcrowded Moria camp during a coronavirus lockdown.

Asylum-seekers including the elderly and very young children have been sleeping rough on Lesbos island since Wednesday when some 11,000 fled the overcrowded Moria camp after it was gutted in apparent arson attacks.