Al Jazeera News :
Croatia will not allow refugees to proceed northwards to Slovenia on their way to Germany, the country’s interior minister has said, as thousands of people streamed into the country from Serbia.
Ranko Ostojic said on Thursday that the refugees entering the town of Tovarnik from Serbia would have to seek asylum in Croatia after the authorities provided safe passage to reception centres around the capital Zagreb.
Ostojic also said that 6,500 refugees entered the country from Serbia in the past 24 hours.
“Croatia will not be able to receive more people,” he said.
Later on Thursday, hundreds of refugees pushed through Croatian police lines in Tovarnik with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos.
More than 2,000 men, women and children were stranded at the local train station for hours in heat, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centres. But when the buses arrived, groups charged toward them, overwhelming the Croatian police who unsuccessfully tried to contain the crowd.
After the situation calmed down, groups of migrants moved on foot, with police unable to stop them.
Hundreds of people are still entering Croatia from Serbia over a Danube river bridge in the northern town of Batina after being bused by Serbs from the Hungarian border that was recently closed off.
Croatian police seemed to be unmanned and unprepared for the sudden influx of families with children as they waited to be registered for entry. There were some chaotic scenes at the border with women fainting and children crying as buses and vans took them to Croatian collection centres.
Some families were separated as dozens of policemen tried to establish some order. Several ambulances were treating people.
Meanwhile, the UN chief said on Thursday that he was “shocked” after Hungarian riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at crowds of refugees desperate to cross the border from Serbia.
When asked about the border clashes on Wednesday, Ban Ki-moon said the treatment of the refugees by the Hungarian police was “not acceptable”.
Croatia will not allow refugees to proceed northwards to Slovenia on their way to Germany, the country’s interior minister has said, as thousands of people streamed into the country from Serbia.
Ranko Ostojic said on Thursday that the refugees entering the town of Tovarnik from Serbia would have to seek asylum in Croatia after the authorities provided safe passage to reception centres around the capital Zagreb.
Ostojic also said that 6,500 refugees entered the country from Serbia in the past 24 hours.
“Croatia will not be able to receive more people,” he said.
Later on Thursday, hundreds of refugees pushed through Croatian police lines in Tovarnik with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos.
More than 2,000 men, women and children were stranded at the local train station for hours in heat, waiting to board trains and buses for transport to refugee centres. But when the buses arrived, groups charged toward them, overwhelming the Croatian police who unsuccessfully tried to contain the crowd.
After the situation calmed down, groups of migrants moved on foot, with police unable to stop them.
Hundreds of people are still entering Croatia from Serbia over a Danube river bridge in the northern town of Batina after being bused by Serbs from the Hungarian border that was recently closed off.
Croatian police seemed to be unmanned and unprepared for the sudden influx of families with children as they waited to be registered for entry. There were some chaotic scenes at the border with women fainting and children crying as buses and vans took them to Croatian collection centres.
Some families were separated as dozens of policemen tried to establish some order. Several ambulances were treating people.
Meanwhile, the UN chief said on Thursday that he was “shocked” after Hungarian riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at crowds of refugees desperate to cross the border from Serbia.
When asked about the border clashes on Wednesday, Ban Ki-moon said the treatment of the refugees by the Hungarian police was “not acceptable”.
