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3rd LD Writethru: More than 1,000 migrants enter Croatia after Hungary closes borders

Xinhua, September 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said Croatia could not handle tens of thousands migrants after the arrival of more than 1,000 migrants on Wednesday.

Croatia could deal with thousands but not tens of thousands, she said. "We simply don't have the capacity."

Croatia was discussing with other countries for help when the migrants increase, according to Pusic.

The Croatian government announced it would set up a task force on Thursday for dealing with the refugee crisis after first wave of refugees hit the country on Wednesday.

The task force, led by Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic, was comprised with deputy or assistant ministers from the ministries of welfare, foreign affairs, labour, and health, as well as the director of the State Protection and Rescue Department, government spokesman Nikola Jelic said.

A total of 1,191 migrants had entered Croatia on Wednesday by 9 p.m. local time. Among them 576, including 98 children aged up to 14, 108 women and 360 men, had been registered, according to Interior Ministry.

Some 163 refugees took three buses to arrive at the Jezevo center, east of the Croatian capital of Zagreb. Most of them were women and children along with a few middle-aged and younger men.

A train that set out to pick up refugees in the eastern border town of Tovarnik arrived in the eastern city of Vinkovci on Wednesday afternoon.

Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said Croatia was ready to receive the first wave of refugees of around 1,500 people on Wednesday.

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

Ever 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 cannons at protesting refugees trying to enter the country at the border with Serbia, according to media reports. Enditem