Thousands of migrants stream into Austria

HEGYESHALOM: Thousands of exhausted migrants streamed into Austria on Saturday bussed to the border by a Hungarian government that gave up trying to hold them back as Europe’s asylum system buckled under pressure from the numbers reaching its frontiers.

After days of confrontation and chaos Hungary s right wing government deployed dozens of buses to move on migrants from the capital Budapest and pick up over 1000 many of them refugees from the Syrian war who had set off by foot on Friday down the main highway to Vienna.

Austria said it had agreed with Germany that they would allow the migrants access waiving the rules of an asylum system brought to breaking point by Europe s worst refugee crisis since the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

Wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags against the rain long lines of visibly exhausted migrants many carrying small children climbed off buses on the Hungarian side of the border and walked into Austria receiving fruit and water from aid workers. Some waiting Austrians held signs that read Refugees welcome.

We’re happy. We’ll go to Germany said a Syrian man. Another who declined to be named said Hungary should be fired from the European Union. Such bad treatment.

Austrian police said 2000 had arrived at the border with many more likely to follow during the day. Trains were laid on to take them from the border town of Nickelsdorf to Vienna.

According to latest updates 4000 migrants have crossed the border and the total number of migrants entering Austria from Hungary in the current wave is expected to reach up to 10,000, the Austrian interior ministry said Saturday.