Clashes reportedly broke out between two teams on the reception centre, police mentioned.

Police fired tear gasoline after clashes broke out and fires have been set at an overcrowded reception middle for migrants in Cyprus, in keeping with police and witnesses.

A minimum of one individual needed to be hospitalized after being injured on Friday on the reception middle in Pournaras, about 22 km (14 miles) west of the capital, Nicosia.

Folks have been throwing rocks and objects at one another, forcing many to flee in panic, and firefighters rushed to place out a blaze that despatched smoke into the sky. Tensions “calmed down” afterwards, in keeping with a police officer.

Police mentioned clashes appeared to have damaged out between two teams within the middle. The fires have been put out by firefighters however sporadic clashes continued till early afternoon, police mentioned.

“A lot of tents have been set on fireplace… the state of affairs has now calmed down,” a police spokesman mentioned.

Cypriot newspaper Philenews mentioned clashes had damaged out between asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, two of the most important teams of migrants in Cyprus.

Overcrowded facilities

Pournaras is internet hosting nicely over 1,000 individuals as Cyprus struggles to deal with an inflow of asylum seekers from Syria and African nations.

Many journey to the southern a part of the island, managed by the internationally acknowledged authorities of ethnically divided Cyprus, by means of a buffer zone that separates it from the realm managed by Turkish Cypriots.

Authorities in Nicosia mentioned final week that this yr alone 17,000 individuals had entered their jurisdiction by means of irregular channels. There have been 12,285 over the entire of 2021.