UN Refugee Agency steps up assistance in European countries facing harsh winter weather

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Friday that they had stepped up their assistance in several European countries which were experiencing harsh winter conditions.

Eri Kaneko, associate spokesperson for UN Secretary-Gereral Antonio Guterres, said at the UN noon briefing that in Greece, hundreds of people had been transferred to better accommodation in Lesvos and Chios over the past few days.

In Serbia, some 1,200 males still stayed in inadequate informal sites in Belgrade city center, including up to 300 unaccompanied or separated boys.

UNHCR was extremely concerned by reports that several refugees and migrants had lost their lives trying to enter or move across Europe, including five since the beginning of the year, due to the freezing weather, said Kaneko. Enditem