Hungary: Police Arrest More Than 3,000 Asylum Seekers In 24 Hours
Newly-released data show that police in Hungary have in a single day captured a record number of 3,321 refugees crossing into the country from Serbia.
Data published on the police website on Thursday indicated the number of the Wednesday detentions was above the 3,313 arrivals made last Thursday.
With the new arrivals, the number of refugees looking to go to Western Europe from Serbia through Hungary hits nearly 22,000 in September alone.
Meanwhile, neighboring Austria has also faced a new rise in numbers of refugees coming from Hungary, as over 3,000 people set foot on its soil overnight.
According to police, between midnight (2200 GMT) and 3:00 a.m. alone, more than 1,700 asylum seekers crossed the border at Nickelsdorf in eastern Austria, while on Thursday morning some 2,800 people were present at the site waiting for special buses and trains to take them to Vienna and beyond.
Earlier this week, the UN’s refugee agency warned that at least 42,000 refugees are expected to reach Hungary by next week after traveling up from Greece via Macedonia and Serbia.
The development comes as Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, mainly coming from conflict-stricken countries like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Most of the refugees land in Italy or Greece, and then head for the wealthier countries of northern Europe by transiting through countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, like Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary.
Some European countries like Hungary and Czech Republic have not shown much enthusiasm in accepting the refugees while others like Germany have taken in large portions.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told parliament on Thursday that around 450,000 refugees have arrived in the country so far this year, including 37,000 in the first eight days of September.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, has called on the European Union to agree on a proportional distribution of refugees with no limits on actual numbers.
