14 Aug 2015

Migrant crisis: cruise ship to house 2,500 arrives in Kos

The vessel will replace the football stadium where violence broke out earlier this week. The Greek island has hundreds of migrants, many fleeing war, arriving everyday.

A cruise ship has arrived in Kos intended to temporarily house 2,500. It will have 110 crew members and is reportedly costing 500,000 euros.

Reports have said the vessel, paid for by the Greek government, will provide assistance exclusively to Syrians – authorities said people fleeing Syria’s civil war would be treated as refugees but those of other nationalities were considered migrants.

Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis announced with the arrival of the boat to Kos, the temporary reception centre at the Antagoras stadium will shut down. There were chaotic scenes outside the stadium earlier in the week as hundreds of migrants fought to be registered.

Mayor Giorgos Kyritsi said: “By tomorrow night we will have ended the use of the Antagoras municipal stadium as a registration centre and all of the migrants will get on board of the ship.”

However, a statement by the police union of the Dodecanese islands calls the boat solution: “A non-solution that could prove very dangerous”. They expressed concerns both for the safety of the migrants but also for that of the crew and policemen.

The situation in Kos, within sight of Turkish shores, has been worsening in the last few days as more and more migrants make the journey to reach Europe. The distance between the Turkish coast and the Greek island is less than fifteen miles.

Short of food and water, migrants have been sheltering from the intense heat in tents, cardboard boxes and the makeshift reception centre at the Antagoras stadium, where scuffles broke out with police earlier in the week.

Earlier on Friday water, milk and food was handed out to hundreds of migrants. Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said: “We are gathering money, despite our limited capability. There are many anonymous Kos citizens, even poor people, who help the refugees despite their nearly non-existent resources.”