refugee tents nantes
© Damien MEYER / AFP
Some 500 refugees are now stranded in a public garden in Nantes, France, where they are living in tents after being expelled from an abandoned house nearby. As doctors warn of epidemics, locals voice unease over their presence.

An estimated 500 refugees, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, have settled in numerous tents in the heart of Nantes, western France, after authorities forced them to leave an abandoned building nearby. RT's Charlotte Dubenskij came to the spot and talked to one of the refugees. "We're lost, hopeless. There's a problem with finding somewhere to live, and food. We don't sleep well, it's tiresome," said a man identified as Mohammed.

Sanitation became a big issue in the makeshift camp as there is only one toilet and just a single water tank to service 500 people.Meanwhile, locals say they are concerned over the refugees' presence in the area. "It's very negative for Nantes, just like for every city where they settled," a local woman told RT. "It's a very bad sign for locals and tourists."