Six people have been confirmed dead in a fire at a New Zealand hostel often used to house people deported from Australia. Authorities said the roof had collapsed on Loafers Lodge in Wellington after a fire, causing “a lot of destruction” with a further 11 people still unaccounted for (Stuff.co.nz). Firefighters helped 50 to 60 people escape, with no sprinklers in the building exacerbating the crisis. According to Filipa Payne, of the deportee advocacy group Route 501, many of the residents of the crowded hostel were people recently deported from Australia under section 501 of the Migration Act (SMH). “This is a horrible tragedy that will affect people that have been placed there through a traumatic and barbaric system,” she said.

Source: Stuff May 16, 2023 21:06 UTC