A long-expected evacuation of a makeshift refugee camp at the Idomeni site on Greece’s northern border began on Tuesday, with the first of 600 third country nationals transported out of the area with 13 coaches.
Some 5,000 people has been estimated as taking shelter at the site, which straddles the frontier with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM). Authorities in the latter country blocked the entry of Mideast refugees and assorted other third world migrants trying to reach preferred central and west European destinations more than two months ago, resulting in the camp’s enlargement.
An ongoing protest at the site also witnessed the closure of Greece’s main rail line leading north out of the country for almost two months, as refugees and migrants had pitched tents over the train tracks.
The people evacuated on Tuesday will be taken to organized temporary shelters across northern Greece, including six former industrial sites.
Reports from the area on Tuesday morning said police were blocking journalists and TV crews reaching the camp or getting near the buses.
