Destination Germany as thousands of migrants reach Austria from Hungary
Chain Chronicle
2015-09-05
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Thousands of migrants and refugees have been streaming into Austria, exhausted after an overnight journey and days of confrontation and chaos in Hungary.
Austrian police say 4,000 people crossed the border in the early hours. They expect many more, and that the number will more than double during the course of the day.
They added that their biggest problem was that Hungary refused them permission to enter its territory to pick the refugees up, meaning the migrants had to cross the border on foot in the rain.
Many are refugees from the Syrian war. Some had set out on foot from Budapest. After initially trying to stop people, the Hungarian authorities ended up bussing them to the border.
Local buses have been taking them on, either to Nickelsdorf train station, or to a local refugee centre if they wish to stay.
But many chose to board trains to Salzburg. Many want to go on to Germany, which has agreed with Austria to waive the rules of an asylum system that has fast become obsolete.
German police have said they expect 10,000 to arrive in the country throughout Saturday.
At Budapest’s Keleti station still more people have been arriving after reaching Europe via the Balkans.
Others have decided to camp out and wait rather than walk. But trains to western Europe have been halted for days to stop migrants from travelling. Hundreds spent another night on Friday sleeping rough at the station.
There was tension on Friday when some Hungarian nationalists turned up and began shouting abuse. The migrants chanted back.
Refugees have been offered help and support in Hungary, but many are relieved to leave a country which has not made them welcome.
The pressure has told on Hungary, one of Europe’s main transit points for migrants.
For a time the authorities insisted that all those entering the country be registered and their asylum applications processed in the country as per EU rules. Later they gave up as the system buckled under the sheer numbers.
The tension has been visible in the south too near Serbia. Hundreds of migrants briefly escaped from a camp at Röszke on Friday, prompting the authorities to partially close the border crossing.
Austrian police say 4,000 people crossed the border in the early hours. They expect many more, and that the number will more than double during the course of the day.
They added that their biggest problem was that Hungary refused them permission to enter its territory to pick the refugees up, meaning the migrants had to cross the border on foot in the rain.
Many are refugees from the Syrian war. Some had set out on foot from Budapest. After initially trying to stop people, the Hungarian authorities ended up bussing them to the border.
Local buses have been taking them on, either to Nickelsdorf train station, or to a local refugee centre if they wish to stay.
But many chose to board trains to Salzburg. Many want to go on to Germany, which has agreed with Austria to waive the rules of an asylum system that has fast become obsolete.
German police have said they expect 10,000 to arrive in the country throughout Saturday.
At Budapest’s Keleti station still more people have been arriving after reaching Europe via the Balkans.
Others have decided to camp out and wait rather than walk. But trains to western Europe have been halted for days to stop migrants from travelling. Hundreds spent another night on Friday sleeping rough at the station.
There was tension on Friday when some Hungarian nationalists turned up and began shouting abuse. The migrants chanted back.
Refugees have been offered help and support in Hungary, but many are relieved to leave a country which has not made them welcome.
The pressure has told on Hungary, one of Europe’s main transit points for migrants.
For a time the authorities insisted that all those entering the country be registered and their asylum applications processed in the country as per EU rules. Later they gave up as the system buckled under the sheer numbers.
The tension has been visible in the south too near Serbia. Hundreds of migrants briefly escaped from a camp at Röszke on Friday, prompting the authorities to partially close the border crossing.
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