Pregnant Migrant Causes Ship's Return To Kos

A ship taking migrants to Athens from Kos has had to turn back after a pregnant woman suffered complications.

The ferry carried on later after the woman was treated in a hospital on the island of Kos and delivered 1,350 people to Piraeus, the port close to the Greek capital, according to The Rhodean website.

It comes as another ship, the Eleftherios Venizizelos, docked at Kos in order to help relieve a crisis that many observers have described as "chaotic".

Thousands of people fleeing instability or poverty have been coming ashore over the summer, making their way to the edge of the European Union from the Turkish mainland, just a few miles away.

It was previously reported the ship - a ferry that has been used in the Adriatic - would house and act as a reception centre to process the refugees.

But Sky's Tom Rayner said there was still a good deal of confusion about the El Venizizelos's role.

He said the Greek border force had told him it would only be for Syrian refugees and not for those from other countries.

While the largest group crossing the three mile stretch of water between Kos and Turkey is made up of Syrians, many from other countries have also made the journey.

Rayner said the Syrians will be given a "form" to enable them to make their way to the Greek mainland for an appointment with the immigration authorities in Athens on 31 October.

But he added: "Almost none of the people we have spoken to say that they will go for a refugee interview in Athens.

"They intend to cross mainland Greece, to the northern borders and into Europe; many people talking about the destination being Germany."

Ethnos newspaper reported that an organisation representing police in the islands has expressed concerns about the plan to house the migrants in the ship.

A statement from the Boards of Police Officers in the Northern and Southern Dodecanese said: "We are puzzled by the decision to berth the ship at Kos.

"We believe that this initiative poses many security risks both for migrants and its crew (fire, conflicts between different nationalities, etc), and uniformed personnel (Hellenic Police, OS), who will have to implement the venture.

"We ask for the immediate transfer of migrants from Kos to that ship and then to regulated open structures on the mainland in order to make the necessary procedures for their identification."

In the last few weeks, hundreds of tents have been pitched by migrants on the beaches in the main tourist areas of the island - one of most popular with British and other northern European holidaymakers.

Reports say up to 500 people have been arriving every day on the Greek islands from across the water.

The worst affected are Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Tilos, according to Greek language publication The Rhodean.

Kos Today, another local news website, said that 115 were reported to have arrived on the islands overnight on Thursday.

The coastguard intercepted and arrested the occupants of two rubber dinghies who were found in the water off the north coast of the island.

A sports stadium that was previously being used to house migrants has now closed and food is being handed out to many of those who are living on the streets after a donation from a supermarket firm, Kos Today said.

Dozens more migrants are massing in Bodrum, across the water in Turkey, as they prepare to make the journey.

Relief charity MSF, which has previously criticised the Greek operation to deal with the migrants, said it will wait to see if conditions improve before commenting further.