Fights among migrants break out on Greek island of Kos

A handful of police tried to maintain order, using fire extinguishers to spray the migrants and striking some with batons.

Hundreds of people arrive on Greece’s eastern Aegean islands daily, many after fleeing conflict in Syria and Afghanistan.

On the island of Kos alone, more than 150 migrants in at least six boats landed on the shore in the early hours of Monday morning.

What they ask of Greece is one piece of paper, which will record their refugee status. “We want to eat!” as they formed lines for registration.

The escalation of trouble in Greece will fuel anxieties among the 90,000 British tourists holidaying on its islands.

Elsewhere in Europe, the head of the Hungary’s immigration office said Monday that the country has received 110,000 asylum requests this year, more than double the total for all of last year.

In Budapest, hundreds of migrants gathered near the city’s main railway terminals, waiting to go to a refugee center or to countries further west in the European Union, such as Germany or the Netherlands. “Today there is just one”.

Migrants sleep in a central square of Kos town on the southeastern island of Kos, Monday, August 10, 2015. Authorities attempted to relocate them to a nearby stadium for registration, but fights broke out among some of the more than 1,000 people crowded together on the narrow streets leading to the stadium.

But the organisation has called conditions for migrants on Kos and other islands “shameful”.

“The problem (of migrant arrivals) has increased very, very fast”.

A man shouts as migrants wait to be registered on Kos.

Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said local authorities were overwhelmed and warned of “bloodshed if the situation degenerates”. Some migrants set up tents while police stood guard in riot gear.

Still, he hopes to eventually make his way through the Balkans to the Netherlands, where he said he would feel secure. “I want to see my family”.

Greece and its global lenders reached a multi-billion euro bailout agreement on Tuesday after talking through the night, officials said, after months of acrimonious negotiations. They said up to 50 passengers on this boat were feared missing.