Second shelter for Afghan evacuees allocated as first one fills up

Defense made the Walaardt Sacré Camp in Zeist available as emergency shelter for asylum seekers from Afghanistan. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) announced via Twitter that it requested a second location, because the first one, the Willem Lodewijk van Nassau barracks in Zoutkamp in Groningen, was full.

COA expected the first group of asylum seekers to arrive in Zeist on Monday morning. It was not yet known how many people that was. The organization said it will continue to look for temporary and permanent solutions for the reception of asylum seekers.

The shelter in Zoutkamp was full from Sunday evening, the COA reported. 178 Afghan evacuees arrived then. In Zoutkamp, there was room for about 540 people.