Amid chaotic scenes in Croatia, hundreds of asylum seekers surged past security forces on Thursday to continue their journey to Western Europe. Some
ADVERTISEMENTAmid chaotic scenes in Croatia, hundreds of asylum seekers surged past security forces on Thursday to continue their journey to Western Europe.
Some 9,000 migrants and refugees have now poured into Croatia after riot police and a razor wire fence thwarted their efforts to pass from Serbia into Hungary.
Fed up with waiting for transport to continue their journey, huge crowds at the Croatian border town of Tovarnik pushed past police lines.
Now there seems no stopping this surge of humanity – including many people fleeing the Syrian conflict – despite Croatia saying it can’t take any more migrants.
Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said Croatia would provide migrants with safe passage to reception centres around the capital, Zagreb, but that those not seeking asylum would be considered illegal immigrants.
He said 6,500 had entered in the past 24 hours.
Croatia flooded with migrants after Hungary clashes http://t.co/nRxGIHBBOUpic.twitter.com/arVNewg1Vy
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) September 17, 2015
“Croatia will not be able to receive more people,” Ostojic told reporters in Tovarnik.
“When we said corridors are prepared, we meant a corridor from Tovarnik to Zagreb,” he added, suggesting Croatia would not be allowing migrants simply to proceed northwards to Slovenia.
But at Ilaca in Croatia, migrants boarded trains – reportedly bound for Slovenia and Austria – on the next step on their marathon voyage.
For so many, the promised land remains Germany – slowly but surely getting within reach.