The police fired warning shots on Thursday morning after an inflatable boat carrying around 20 people towards Cyprus’ east coast attempted to ram a police vessel after they attempted to intercept it.

According to the police, the boat was initially spotted at around 4.50am heading towards the north before changing course and heading towards the Republic.

When approached by the police, the boat reportedly attempted to ram the police’s vessel, before later crashing to a reef and coming to a halt.

After the crash, the boat’s occupants attempted to swim to the shore.

A total of 15 people have thus far been identified by the police, all of whom are Syrian men.

The police are still looking for the others who were on the boat, including the two people who were operating it. Both, according to the police, were wearing hoods throughout the incident.

The police set up a crisis management centre to deal with the people’s arrival, while their investigation into the matter is ongoing.