ANKARA
A Greek coast guard cutter has apparently attacked and sunk an inflatable boat filled with migrants attempting to reach the island of Kos, according to a video released by French media Friday.
The footage, posted on French radio station France Info which published it on its website, was filmed a few days ago by Turkish fishermen, and is said to show, albeit unclearly, the Greek coast guard poking the boat filled with migrants.
No one was killed or injured in the assault. France Info reported that the Turkish fishermen who filmed the scene rescued the women and children from the waters, while Turkish coast guard ships recovered the male migrants.
The incident occurred as authorities on Kos are struggling to cope with the arrival of about 7,000 migrants this summer, many of whom have reached the island by boat from Bodrum on the Turkish coast.
As the regular population of Kos is 30,000, the massive influx has strained sanitation and health services on the island.
When migrants arriving were coralled in a sports stadium on Kos on Tuesday, riots broke out among those waiting for official entry to the country, and Greek police were forced to train fire hoses on the crowd.
International aid agency Doctors without Borders has set up a field hospital at the stadium, and officials from the organization say that a humanitarian crisis is in the making on the island.
The Greek government said on Friday that it was sending a ship with a capacity of at least 2,500 people to the island. The ship is intended to provide temporary quarters for the migrants.
