Clashes Break Out At Overcrowded Cyprus Migrant Centre

Police have fired tear gas after clashes broke out and fires were lit at an overcrowded centre for migrants in Cyprus.

Al Jazeera cited a police report saying at least one person needed hospital treatment after being injured on Friday at the Pournaras reception facility, about 22km (14 miles) west of the capital, Nicosia.

People hurled rocks and objects at each other, forcing many to flee in panic, and firefighters rushed to extinguish a blaze that sent billowing smoke into the sky. Tensions later “calmed”, the police said.

The Police added that clashes appeared to have broken out between two groups in the centre. The fires were extinguished by the fire brigade.

Cypriot news outlet Philenews said clashes broke between asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, two of the largest migrant groups in Cyprus.

Pournaras has been housing well over its 1,000-person capacity as Cyprus struggles to cope with an influx of asylum seekers. Authorities in Nicosia last week said this year alone, 17,000 people had entered their jurisdiction through irregular channels.