Photos: Violence erupts at Hungarian border as police fire tear gas and water cannons at migrants

As desperate men, women and children pleaded to be allowed through the newly completed razor wire fences, several hundred finally lost their patience and attempted to break through the barricades. Hungarian police responded by firing their tear gas and water cannons across the border into Serbia and charging through the gates in an attempt to disperse the crowds. 

The reaction triggered a stampede among the refugees, as thousands of women and children panicked at the sight of armed riot officers wearing helmets and gas masks. As a cloud of tear gas engulfed the refugees, many people were in tears trying to wash away the gas from their eyes. Others simply wrapped damp clothes around their faces and continued the protests. See more photos below....

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Photos: Violence erupts at Hungarian border as police fire tear gas and water cannons at migrants

As desperate men, women and children pleaded to be allowed through the newly completed razor wire fences, several hundred finally lost their patience and attempted to break through the barricades. Hungarian police responded by firing their tear gas and water cannons across the border into Serbia and charging through the gates in an attempt to disperse the crowds. 

The reaction triggered a stampede among the refugees, as thousands of women and children panicked at the sight of armed riot officers wearing helmets and gas masks. As a cloud of tear gas engulfed the refugees, many people were in tears trying to wash away the gas from their eyes. Others simply wrapped damp clothes around their faces and continued the protests. See more photos below....

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Migrants head to Croatia as Hungary shuts borders

Croatia found itself dragged into the migrant crisis on Wednesday as migrants crossed into Serbia’s western neighbour after Hungary locked down its frontier. A Reuters cameraman saw at least 100 migrants walk through cornfields into EU member Croatia, most having arrived by bus from Serbia’s southern border with Macedonia to the western town of Sid on the Croatian border.

Serbian media reported that at least 10 migrant buses had left for Sid from the southern Serbian town of Presevo, where several thousand enter every day from Macedonia, streaming north across the Balkan peninsula. A journalist on the Croatian side of the border saw the first group of migrants rounded up by Croatian police and taken away to be registered.

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Migrants head to Croatia as Hungary shuts borders

Croatia found itself dragged into the migrant crisis on Wednesday as migrants crossed into Serbia’s western neighbour after Hungary locked down its frontier. A Reuters cameraman saw at least 100 migrants walk through cornfields into EU member Croatia, most having arrived by bus from Serbia’s southern border with Macedonia to the western town of Sid on the Croatian border.

Serbian media reported that at least 10 migrant buses had left for Sid from the southern Serbian town of Presevo, where several thousand enter every day from Macedonia, streaming north across the Balkan peninsula. A journalist on the Croatian side of the border saw the first group of migrants rounded up by Croatian police and taken away to be registered.

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4,300 migrants arrive in Athens

About 1,800 people arrived on the Greek mainland on Tuesday evening, with another 2,500 landing at dawn, port police said, adding that they had been taken to a nearby train station. The ships were chartered by the Greek government to help relieve pressure on Lesbos, whose authorities and infrastructure are ill-equipped to deal with the huge influx of people.

More than 160,000 people have arrived in Greece this year, most of them fleeing war in the Middle East, as Europe grapples with its biggest migration crisis since World War II. For many, Athens will be merely the first stop in a gruelling land journey north through the Balkans in a bid to reach Hungary, a key entry point into Europe.

The numbers crossing from Turkey to Greece have soared over the summer as the migrants, many paying more than $1,000 to smugglers for the risky passage, take advantage of the calm seas to make the crossing.

The Greek government — which has just accepted a third international bailout as it struggles to pay enormous debts — has repeatedly said it is unable to cope with the scale of the influx, calling for a coordinated European response and for more resources to help it tackle the crisis.

Greek ministers were set to meet Wednesday morning on the crisis, which is likely to be at the centre of talks scheduled Thursday in Athens between Greek officials, the European Commission’s vice-president Frans Timmermans, and Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU’s Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner.

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