Migrants and homeless people have been evicted from a former hotel in the Campania region of Italy where they were living in conditions that put their lives at risk. The structure has been sequestered.
Carabinieri police have evicted migrants and homeless people from the ex Hotel Houston, a historic building in the municipality of Casagiove near the Caserta Nord motorway toll gate. The building has served as a makeshift home since the company that owned it went bankrupt several years ago.
Minors inside
The structure - seven storeys above ground and two below, four tennis courts and swimming pool - was in a state of abandonment and considered a danger. For this reason, prosecutors in Santa Maria Capua Vetere ordered for it to be sequestered.
On Wednesday morning, there were several homeless third-country immigrants and two Romanian families with children; the latter received assistance from the local social services.
Threat to occupants' safety
Checks carried out by carabinieri and firefighters revealed serious risks for the safety of occupants due to the poor structural condition of the building and presence of heaps of abandoned waste, which also represented a fire hazard.