Catamarancrash injuresBritish tourists

Twenty-five people were taken to hospital with injuries including broken bones and cuts from shattered windows. Five of them were seriously injured but none was thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

Most of the 209 tourists on the boat, travelling from the Turkish resort of Didim to Kos, were British.

The Aegean Cat, run by a Turkish firm, is thought to have suffered a technical problem that caused it to hit the dock twice.

Phil Simonetti, whose wife Dawn is thought to have broken her nose in the collision, told Altinkum Voices, an English-language Turkish newspaper: “There was so much blood everywhere it was like a battlefield. People suffered broken bones and whiplash injuries as they were thrown about as the boat slammed into the wharf.”

The Greek Ministry of Mercantile Marine said the port authority in Kos was investigating the incident at 11.12am local time yesterday.

David Gerasklis, deputy mayor of Kos Town and vice president of Kos Port Authority, said: “There was a technical problem with the boat which caused it to crash. There is no other logical explanation. After it hit the first time, it reversed about 20 metres and then hit the pier again.

“The second time was worse, as passengers were standing up to see what was happening. Some of them were injured with broken glass inside the boat.”