As many as 1,000 migrant farm workers, mostly from Bangladesh are left homeless after a devastating fire Wednesday ripped through the shantytown in southern Greece, where they lived.
No one was injured as the migrants at the time were working in the fields. Despite running back and their efforts to salvage whatever they could, they lost everything in the fire, including their shelter, clothing, money, residence permits, passports and other essential documents and some even their phones.
“We need food, water,” one of the migrants said in broken Greek, echoing the needs of the farm workers affected by the fire. “They say where should I go stay, where should I go sleep, we are all left with absolutely no money. Everyone’s crying, that’s what they all say.”
Faced with total destruction, they have issued an appeal for help to Greek authorities or to anyone who could offer assistance. FreshPlaza.com reports that according to local labor unions and the regional food industry workers’ union, there has been no provision for assistance, leaving the migrants to fend for themselves.
The fire broke out shortly before noun at the migrants’ camp in Nea Manolada, an area in western Peloponnese, famous for its strawberries, watermelons and various vegetables. According to reports, the blaze started from the open burning of waste, that quickly spread to the migrants’ huts and a nearby greenhouse. A thick veil of black smoke started engulfing the area from the burning of plastic and other flammable materials, while exploding gas canisters that migrants used for cooking further fueled the fire.
Firefighters along with eight vehicles rushed at the scene and extinguished the fire in late afternoon. According to reports, about 50 huts were fully destroyed, along with 12 rooms where the migrants lived.
Greece has been suffering from a lack of available workers while the so-called brain drain of recent years continues to be an issue.
Staff shortages are particularly high in specific sectors. It is estimated that there is a lack of 70,000 workforce in agriculture, 80,000 in tourism and restaurants, and another 50,000 in construction, which brings the total lack of workforce in Greece at 200,000 individuals.
In 2023, the Greek government passed a new law targeting shortages of unskilled labor, according to which 30,000 undocumented migrants who have lived in Greece since 2020 will have the right to obtain residence permits and work in the country.
The decision mainly affected farm workers, including those from Bangladesh, who work in the agriculture sector. In 2022 alone, around 3,405 migrants from the South Asian country obtained residence permits in Greece, while thousands others were awaiting a decision on their application.
Data by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) shared by Secretary General for the Reception of Asylum Applicants Dimitra Lygoura in 2024 also indicate that Greece is behind compared to other European countries in the availability of highly skilled staff at four sectors that are critical for the Greek economy. Those are: hotel/vacation rentals, trade, manufacturing, and farming and fishing.
At the time, it was estimated that 750,000 legal migrants were working in Greece.
