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1st LD Writethru: First group of refugees arrive in Croatia, 350 registered while more expected

Xinhua, September 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Around 350 refugees had been registered in Croatia before 1:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) Wednesday following the arrival of the first group of refugees in the morning, Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic confirmed.

Some of them had already been transported by buses to refugee centers here as well as to Jezevo, according to the minister.

Ostojic said other refugees would be accommodated also in centers in Sisak and Kutina in central Croatia and in the municipality of Tovarnik, where they were first registered after entering Croatia.

He added that Croatia was ready to receive the first refugee wave, around 1,500 people Wednesday.

A special train left Zagreb central station on Monday in the early afternoon headed for the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia, near Tovarnik. The train can receive up to 1,000 refugees which will be transported to the refugee centers.

Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic said on Wednesday afternoon that Zagreb and the Croatian government were ready to receive up to 2,000 refugees in Zagreb within the next 48 hours.

He added that refugees would be accommodated in sport centers and other facilities and would receive a hot meal.

According to earlier reports, the first group of around 80 refugees, mostly from Syria and Afghanistan, entered Croatia from Serbia via the border passing Tovarnik on Wednesday morning.

The refugees came to the Serbian border town of Sid early in the morning on buses from southern Serbia where it borders Macedonia.

Some refugees tried to enter Croatia illegally, avoiding registration, but were met by the Croatian police who took them to the nearest police station in the municipality of Tovarnik.

All refugees were met at the border by the police and Red Cross volunteers and will be escorted to the registration center.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said on Wednesday that he would set up a meeting of the Council for National Security due to the refugee crisis.

Since Hungary closed its borders on Monday and Tuesday, the refugee wave going through Serbia will now most likely go through Croatia towards Western Europe.

Hungarian riot police on Wednesday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesting refugees, who are trying to enter the country at the border with Serbia, according to media reports. Endit