Refugees, Migrants Escape From Removal Center in Fire

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123 refugees and migrants have escaped from the Removal Center located in İstanbul's Kumkapı following the fire which broke out in the center.

To protest their living conditions, refugees and migrants have set their belongings on fire on the third floor of Istanbul Governorship Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Upon notification, fire department units, health care teams and police were dispatched to the area. According to the Minister of Interior, 123 refugees and migrants have escaped from the center In the ruckus.

State-run Anadolu Agency has reported that most of the refugees and migrants who were waiting for their deportation were from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Police opened fire into the air in order to stop the group. A citizen recorded what was happening with a cell phone. The units managed to bring the fire under control, three people were injured in the meanwhile.

What is a Removal Center?

Removal centers are established with the aim of accommodation and taking under control of the foreigners who are under administrative supervision, and operated directly or outsourced to be operated by experts in the field of migration in public institutions and organisations, Turkish Red Crescent Foundation or other foundations working for public benefit through concluding protocols.

There are removal centers in the provinces of Adana, Antalya, Aydın, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, Erzurum, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kırıkkale, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ and Van.(NV/DG)