Croatia closes border amid refugee surge

Budapest described the train’s unannounced arrival as a “major, major incident” – and alleged 40 police officers accompanying the migrants had to be disarmed and sent back. “I find it weird and shocking that certain esteemed worldwide figures have stood on the side of people who for hours were throwing stones and pieces of cement at the Hungarian police“, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

The migrants, mostly from poor or war-torn countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, have streamed into Croatia since Wednesday, after Hungary blocked what had been the main route with a metal fence and riot police at its border with Serbia. “We would like to ask the Croatian government to stop spreading lies”, he said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker affirmed his support to Milanovic during a Friday telephone conversation, offering technical and logistical assistance to Croatia.

Undeterred by the closure of nearly all road crossings into Croatia, thousands are entering the European Union’s newest member state at Tovarnik just over the border from Serbia.

The flood of migrants into Croatia has accelerated since Hungary sealed its southern, external European Union frontier with Serbia on Tuesday, to keep out the human tide many of whom hope to reach wealthy Germany.

Reporting from the Croatia-Serbia border, Lauren Frayer spoke to Jamal al-Shahoud, a refugee from Syria, who told her, “Here no food, no water”.

In an echo of the language adopted by David Cameron earlier this month, he added: “We have hearts, but we also have heads”.

Earlier, crowds pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatia town of Torvarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos. “Two hundred police have been assigned to the Croatian border”, he said.

Croatia represents a longer and more hard route into Europe, but those fleeing violence in their homelands appear to have little choice.

UNHCR says more than 442,440 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year and 2,921 have died trying.

Milanović said Croatia cannot and will not close its borders, but will redirect people towards Hungary and Slovenia and further towards western Europe. “You aren’t going to solve these problems by closing borders”. “Austria is a bigger country, but they also have their limitations to cope”, he said.