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Asylum seekers continue to flood into Austria

Xinhua, September 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

The flood of asylum seekers passing into Austria is continuing unabated, with 3,670 people entering the country via common rail entry point, the border town Nickelsdorf, overnight into Friday.

Since the beginning of the week, the number of asylum seekers who entered the town situated just next to the Hungarian border is close to 16,000, with the overwhelming majority intending to travel onward to Germany.

However, German media reports put the total number of asylum seekers who travelled through Austria into Germany much higher, estimating the arrivals in Munich at 40,000 persons since Saturday.

The massive numbers have already forced Austrian Federal Railways (OeBB) to suspend train services between Vienna and Budapest, at least until the weekend, due to overcrowding.

The OeBB said ferrying the passengers onward has been a problem. About 50 buses were used to ferry asylum seekers from Nickelsdorf to the Westbahnhof train station in Vienna on Friday, along with taxis.

Meanwhile, the Austrian Armed Forces helped by erecting 40 military tents in Nickelsdorf on Thursday and Friday, which accommodate 2,000 persons, along with providing a further 1,100 sleeping spaces in garrisons in various cities.

The Red Cross also put a call out for 10,000 blankets for the asylum seekers, and said it expected the current circumstances to continue on for some time.

Government leaders also met to discuss the issue Friday. Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said a decision to close the border to Hungary would be a "last resort."

Nonetheless, she acknowledged the situation was "extremely precarious," but said all involved were working together professionally. Endit