Migrant flow in Austria eases considerably

Austrian authorities said Thursday the situation with asylum seekers both travelling through the country and attempting to enter at the borders has eased considerably.

The situation, that groups of asylum seekers have been attempting to cross from Salzburg over the nearby German border, did however continue.

Compared with Wednesday, the Salzburg Hauptbahnhof train station was deemed very quiet Thursday morning.

As the asylum seekers appear to have accepted that no trains are running into Germany, they are continuing to make the trip across the border into Freilassing on foot.

Der Standard newspaper reported some scenes of panic emerged as some of the asylum seekers thought temporary border closures meant an absolute closure of the border, though interpreters tried to restore calm by clarifying the situation.

German authorities confirmed that temporary closures were in place often, due to full capacity at registry centers, but as they became available again, the closures were again lifted.

Austria's eastern border was also quiet, with very few asylum seekers attempting to cross into Austria.

Early reports are indicating that due to tightened border restrictions, particularly via Hungary, the asylum seekers currently underway in the south are increasingly travelling through Croatia instead, often through Serbia first. Endi